The Erased Chronicles
by LastationLover5000
Summary: In an alternate timeline where Gohan encounters Erasa, Videl's friend from childhood, what happens when they develop a romantic relationship? Explore the Erased Chronicles, an alternate timeline where Gohan and Erasa try and balance their relationship with all the chaos of Majin Boo's arrival on Earth! Things won't always be what you expect, in this new tale of Dragon Ball Z!
1. Two Stars, One City

"_ I am Cell. I have a message for all the people of Earth. Now pay attention to what I say. Your boring lives are about to get a lot more interesting, thanks to me. I have enjoyed terrorizing Earth, but now I have something far more entertaining planned for this pathetic planet. For those who don't remember me, take a close look at my face. The big monster of Nicky Town. I am the evolved form of that creature, and I owe it all to this worthless planet for providing me with the bio-extract I needed. But the reason I am here is to announce my decision to hold a martial arts tournament. I am calling this competition the 'Cell Games'. Catchy little title, don't you think?_

_The Cell Games will be held nine days from today at Area S.5, 28 miles northeast of Eastern City. There, you will find an arena that I have designed myself. I modeled it after the one used in the original World Martial Art's tournament. I believe it is the ideal location to crush my competitors. Bring me your best fighters, and I will face them one-by-one in a contest of strength. This is the last chance for Planet Earth. If I am not defeated, it belongs to me! My competitors will have the advantage, since I won't be able to rest between matches, and my new opponents can enter the competition immediately._

_The rules will be the same as the World Martial Arts Tournament. If you give up, or your body touches the outside of the ring, you lose, and, though I will try to avoid this, if you die, you will, of course, be disqualified. I hope I haven't frightened any of you from playing the Cell Games. Now that you know where the competition will be, all you have to do is find the courage to show up. Hahahahahahahaha...come and get me if you dare!_

_Now. Let the games begin! The tournament starts in nine days...good luck!_"

Fear. Terror. Uncertainty.

These were the feelings that swept throughout Planet Earth. In the wake of only the past few days, terror continued to sweep the planet. The biological monstrosity who called himself "Cell" had been terrorizing the Earth, going from a boogeyman who hid in the shadows, absorbing the life energy of humans, to a true threat who had the entire planet running scared.

But there was a glimmer of hope.

In a strange twist of fate, Cell had announced a tournament; the "Cell Games", as he called it. If the Earth's greatest fighters could defeat Cell in this tournament of his, the Earth would be saved. With a period of nine guaranteed days left to live, the entire populace of Earth seemed to have gone into hiding, with only a select few having the courage to stand up to the monster.

Among these few was a young boy named Son Gohan, the son of Son Goku. This boy in question was currently flying over the mountainside at breakneck speeds. At his father's insistence, they were to spend the remaining days waiting for the Cell Games relaxing, and not training. While Gohan couldn't understand his father's motivations, he placed his faith in him, hoping he had something to back up his attitude.

"I think I'm almost there...!" The boy, currently a pale blonde with bright green eyes — in a state of Passive Super Saiyan — thought aloud as he flew straight over the forest. After a great deal of pestering from his father and himself, Chi-Chi finally relented and allowed Gohan to take a visit over to Orange Star City. The hybrid had never been to a city before, and given his father insisted they didn't train at all, it seemed like the perfect chance to take a trip.

"There it is!" The boy gasped as the sight of Orange Star City; the sprawling metropolis, named for one of the magical orbs known as "Dragon Balls", was unlike anything Gohan had ever seen. Skyscrapers, small buildings, parks, streets crowded with people and cars, it was so much to take in. The young Saiyan descended to the ground, looking around in awe. "It's so...crowded," He finished lamely, trying to find the words to match his astonishment. "Unlike the villages I've been to before, this place isn't deserted. And there's so much to do...I don't know where to start looking!"

* * *

**Orange Star Primary School**

A short-haired, blonde girl with bright, curious blue-eyes sighed theatrically as she left her classroom with her friend. These two were Erasa and Videl, two girls who had been friends since childhood. The two girls headed to their lockers, trying to pretend nothing was on their minds. But in truth, there was something nagging at these girls.

Cell.

Not a day ago, the monster known as Cell had announced the Cell Games. Naturally, this had caused everyone to fly into a panic. However, the denizens of Orange Star City continued to live as they always had, children still attending school, adults still going to their jobs, criminals still committing crimes, the usual. The reason for this was simple; Orange Star City was home to the current World Martial Art's Champion, and self-proclaimed "world's strongest man", Mark, otherwise known as Mr. Satan. Videl, the black-haired girl who seemed more focused on her locker than her surroundings, in fact, happened to be his daughter. Walking up to her own proximate locker, Erasa couldn't help but say something to her best friend.

"I know I've asked this a lot in just the past few hours, Videl..." Erasa began, but the black-haired girl cut her off.

"Erasa, we've been over this," She said curtly. "I am 100% certain my dad will be able to beat Cell!" This entire line sounded rehearsed, as it should; Erasa had been nervous ever since the announcement of the Cell Games.

"How can you be that certain?" The blonde girl insisted as she struggled with her locker combination. She'd never been good at remembering these kinds of things, and Videl quickly came over and turned the knob in the correct combination for her. "You saw what he did to the section of that city. He's even claiming to be responsible for the mass disappearances in places like Gingertown!"

"It's all just a trick!" Videl asserted sharply. "Dad even says so — the destroyed portions of towns? Just explosives he set up before he arrived. Everything this guy's displayed are just light shows and tricks. Super powers don't exist, you know that. This isn't a fantasy world, Erasa, you've got to get your head in the game!"

"I-I get it...!" The blonde girl almost backed away, raising her arms up as if to defend herself and chuckling weakly. "I'll stop asking about it."

"_ I just wish Dad wouldn't use this as a chance to parade around like a buffoon..._" Videl thought to herself. She had to admit, even she had some doubts about her father, but he was so insistent, and after all, the humans needed some hope to cling to. It was only because Mr. Satan lived in Orange Star City that everyone was so at ease.

The girls closed their lockers, having retrieved their schoolbooks, and swapped their shoes at the shoe locker, walked outside into the fresh city air. If someone had woken up out of a long sleep in this city, they really would not have known a thing was wrong.

"You go on ahead to Burger World, Erasa," Videl suggested to the girl. "And give me your things. I'll take them to my place, so we can just head back together."

"You sure?" The blonde asked curiously. She didn't want to just leave Videl carrying her bag.

"Don't worry about it," Videl waved it off airily, "Dad wanted me to come home first anyway. Just go wait at Burger World. And don't wander off."

* * *

**Orange Star Shopping District**

"There's so much to do!" Gohan was standing in awe in the middle of the crowded shopping district. The voices of people were almost overwhelming, as, at home, the only ambient noises came from the animals in the forest, this was certainly a new experience. He briefly reflected on how sad it was that his only experience in a city ended with it being destroyed by a maniacal android. This was a year ago, due to Gohan's training in the Room of Spirit and Time, but it was still fresh to the world.

Assailing the boy's Saiyan nose were a plethora of wonderful aromas; perhaps it was due to his Saiyan heritage, but in addition to the various scents that were obviously human, he could detect the aroma of several different kinds of food. In fact, these smells seemed to be registering far stronger to him than anything else. "Well," He said meekly to himself. "Maybe I should grab a bite to eat."

Following one of the stronger scents that made his mouth water, the boy found himself in front of a restaurant called "Burger World", a fast food restaurant popular with primary and secondary school students in the area. Gently pushing open the front doors, making careful effort not to shatter the glass, the boy stepped in and found himself surrounded by the sound of chatter, and the smell of cooking meat, as well as various condiments and the like.

Patiently, he waited in the line, while everyone was receiving their orders. He kept his eyes on the menu, trying to figure out what to order. As he'd never been in a fast food restaurant before — his mother would cook all their food, which only made sense, given how much he and his father could eat — he had no idea what any of these foods were. They were listed by numbers, with images of the food next to them. Gohan supposed he would just order something random, and try it. He'd never found a food he didn't like; he was very like Goku in that regard.

"Welcome to Burger World, may I take your order?" The cashier at the register sounded terribly bored and uninterested, as if he'd rather be anywhere but where he was right now. Gohan couldn't quite get how he could seem so bitter in a place that smelled so good.

"Um..." Gohan scratched the back of his head meekly. Having never placed an order before, the experience was slightly nerve-wracking for the boy. "I-I'd like to order the #5, please."

"That will be 700 zeni in total," The cashier droned on, inputing the numbers into the register with barely a glance at Gohan.

Gohan reached into his pockets, only to be shocked when he discovered something terrible.

He had no money.

"Sir?" The cashier pressed. "Can you pay or not? We need to move the line along."

"I...um..." Gohan stammered, tripping over his words entirely. How could he have forgotten any money? Had he gotten so caught up in the euphoria of his mother letting him go that he'd forgotten it entirely?

"Sir, you're going to have to mo-"

"Hey! Didn't I tell you lunch was my treat?" A silvery, unfamiliar voice caught Gohan's ear, and his nose was greeted by a very soothing aroma; a strange mixture of fruit scented conditioner and rose scented shampoo. There was also a natural fragrance to her, something that smelled very sweet, almost inviting. Gohan turned to see a girl with short, cropped blonde hair and curious bright blue eyes looking at him eagerly.

"Oi, get back in the line!" A teenager directly behind Gohan snapped angrily. "We've been waiting here before you, kid."

"I'm with him," The girl replied crisply, glaring at the older male. "He was waiting for me to get here, and tried to pay in advance since I was late. I'd told him lunch was on me earlier." It was surprising how easily this lie spilled from the girl's lips. "Isn't that right?"

"Y-yeah, she's with me," Gohan caught on quickly, and tried to say it as convincingly as he could. He wasn't a natural liar — in fact, Krillin often said he had a terrible poker face, not that he knew what that was — but the teenager either believed him or decided it wasn't worth getting into an argument with. Erasa giggled to herself, and winked at the flustered Gohan.

"Let's see, you wanted a #5, so I'll get that too!" She chirped, and paid the 1400 Zeni price, despite Gohan's misgivings about letting a random stranger pay for him. The cashier handed her two numbers, one for each of them, and two large cups. Erasa led Gohan to the soda machine, and the people in the line finally heaved a sigh of relief.

"Um...why did you do that?" Gohan asked ask Erasa took both cups and filled them each with soda from the dispenser.

"Do what?" Erasa asked airily, handing Gohan his own drink, which he took with gratitude.

"I'm really grateful that you paid for me but I've never met you." He said innocently, if a bit a blunt. He wasn't trying to be rude, he just was surprised to see someone like that.

"Well, you're new here, aren't you?" Erasa replied, chuckling at the surprise on Gohan's face. "I could tell by the expression on your face, it's so...clueless. No one whose lived here for awhile looks that excited to walk into a fast food restaurant."

Gohan's face flushed. Was he really so obvious about that?

"It's also your clothes," She gestured to Gohan's attire, which truly did look out of place in this modern setting; a white, silk shirt, tied down the center up to the collar, black pants also composed of silk, and black, flat shoes. "No one out here dresses anything remotely like that."

Once again, she'd nailed it, and Gohan couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. Just how out of place _was _he?

"Since you're new in town, why don't I show you around after we eat?" Erasa coyly, a bright smile perched on her face. Gohan couldn't help but notice her scent was still very powerfully present, even among the aroma of the food here. "What do you say?"

"S-sure...!" Gohan replied, giving a slight bow in thanks, showing just how odd he was. Erasa couldn't help but laugh once more, but to Gohan's relief, she seemed to simply find him funny. "Come on, let's find our table, ummm...?" It was at this point she realized they'd been talking for a few minutes with neither knowing the other's name.

"I'm Son Gohan," The blonde hybrid replied quickly. He wondered why he hadn't introduced himself earlier, since it was only proper manners.

"A family name? We definitely don't have those here. My name's Erasa," The human girl replied, and the two made off towards a table, sitting down, and they sat in awkward silence for a moment. However, it was Erasa who broke the silence, "So, Gohan, if you're not from out here, where are you from?"

"A small town over in East District 439." Gohan replied cheerfully. The boy, however, was apparently unaware of the magnitude of his statement, as it caused Erasa to jolt up in shock, thrusting both hands on the table

"E-East District 439?!" She gaped, eyes wide. "You're kidding, right? That's hundreds of miles from here! Even by jet flier, it takes five hours to get here! And you came here just to look around? Are you rich or something?"

"N-no, not really," Gohan replied hastily, trying to get Erasa to relax.

"Miss, you're going to have to sit down or leave," One of the employees had come to the table, carrying Gohan and Erasa's food, and had been there for the entire spectacle. "We don't need disturbances here."

Erasa gasped, entirely unaware that she had stood up, or had been been exclaiming her surprise. "I'm sorry!" She replied quickly, and the server placed their food down, taking the numbers off the table and left.

"Itadakimasu~!" Both children exclaimed as Erasa handed Gohan a wrapped burger, and fries. While Erasa immediately began to unwrap her burger, she saw Gohan looking around aimlessly. Swallowing a bite, she placed the burger on the table, staring at him curiously. "Is something the matter, Gohan?"

"There aren't any utensils," The boy replied, sounded confused. "How am I supposed to eat then?"

Erasa stopped, blinking rapidly. "You don't know how to eat fast food?" She asked incredulously. "You really _are _from a village." She had to admit, his innocence and ignorance of city life was cute, in an odd way. "Watch me, alright?" The girl took command, picking up her hamburger once more, and taking a bite, giving Gohan a much needed demonstration. After chewing slowly and swallowing, she smiled at his shocked look. "You eat food like this with your hands! Go on, try it!"

Unsure of himself — his mother insisted food always be eaten with some form of utensils, be they flatware or chopsticks — Gohan picked up the burger, unwrapping it, and took a bite. Trying to mind his manners, he chewed carefully and swallowed. "It's delicious!" He exclaimed, never having tasted anything like it.

"Isn't it?" Erasa smiled, and picked up a napkin, reaching across the table. "Hey, c'mere. You've got some ketchup on your face." Gently, she rubbed the napkin along the side of Gohan's mouth, removing a slightly red-stained napkin. "There we go," She smiled brightly once more, and Gohan couldn't help noticing he was getting more relaxed around this strange girl by the second. "Come on, let's finish, and I'll take you around the city!"

* * *

Gohan and Erasa exited the fast food restaurant, both having food in their stomachs, putting them in a jovial mood. The blonde pair of children immediately started to explore, Erasa pulling Gohan by the hand, eager to show him around. Being in a city for no reason other than enjoyment was a refreshing experience to Gohan.

As Erasa showed Gohan around the city, she'd completely forgotten two important things; the trouble of Cell, but also, the fact that her friend Videl was most likely waiting back at the restaurant she'd just now left, and would be furious. Gohan himself had long since gotten rid of the nervous feeling he'd had when Erasa first appeared, and the two were talking like old friends.

Laughing as they chatted, Erasa led Gohan around the shopping district, introducing him to the concept of shopping malls, supermarkets, and even stores like convenience stores. Every sight, every smell, was new to Gohan; he'd never seen, or even dreamed, of a place as busy and bustling as this, and having Erasa lead him around seemed to complete the experience, in his mind. The blonde girl had a remarkable amount of patience, allowing Gohan the time to bask in his reverence of the city before she dragged him off to see something new.

"What's this?" Gohan asked, pointing at a large, ornate fountain. Made seemingly of marble, filled with water, and the figure of a large, serpentine Dragon rising out of it, it caught Gohan's attention immediately, due to how much it resembled the Eternal Dragon summoned through the Dragon Balls. From the dragon's menacing, open mouth shot a pillar of water which arched as it rose higher, landing in the basin.

"This?" Erasa was surprised Gohan would be interested in such a relic. "This statue is a piece of history. The dragon here is Shénlóng, and, an old legend has it that, when Orange Star City was just a small town, hundreds of years ago, this very dragon saved our town from a cataclysm," She walked over, placing her hand on the horns of the dragon, slowly moving it down the winding, twisting frame. It seemed she held a kind of reverence for this creature. "There was a shrine built, dedicated to the dragon, and placed inside it was a sphere with a single orange star. Eventually, when we became a large city, the shrine was demolished, but those who wanted to remember Shénlóng, and what he did for our small village, created this fountain. Even now, people still pray to Shénlóng, for fortune, for protection..."

"That's so...amazing..." Gohan stood there, staring at the statue of the Eternal Dragon. He'd grown up knowing about the concept of Dragon Balls, and as such, hadn't placed any true thoughts of reverence to them, they were just there, and he'd always assumed they would be. When Piccolo fused with Kami, however, the Balls became inert...he wondered how these people would react, to realize their precious deity was now gone? He didn't have the heart to tell Erasa, who kept staring at the statue fondly.

"Come on!" Erasa told the boy, slightly dazed as she walked off aimlessly; telling the story of Shénlóng, her attention seemed to be entirely focused on the marble statue, as opposed to where she had been walking.

This would prove to be a mistake.

"Erasa, watch out!" Gohan called frantically; the girl's dazed state caused her to only dimly register Gohan's words as she accidentally tripped off the side of the curb...and into the path of an oncoming pickup truck. The girl let out a shriek, the driver shouted, frantically honking their horn, and Gohan, despite Erasa being far out of his reach, reacted instantly. He leapt forward within the blink of an eye, grabbed her around the waist, and in one bound, leapt to the sidewalk on the other side of the road, crouching on one knee with a breathless Erasa at his side.

"You...saved me...?" The girl breathed, utterly stunned as the pick-up truck seemed to floor away from the scene, without giving its would-be-victim a look of concern. "H-how did you do that?" It was understandable that Erasa was shocked; they went from one side of the street to another faster than she had taken a breath.

"It just happened," Gohan replied, giving Erasa a once-over to make sure she hadn't been harmed anywhere — not by the car, but by him. Controlling his own strength wasn't easy when he wasn't focusing, but much to his relief, he hadn't done any damage to Erasa. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, thanks to you," She replied, still sounding like she'd just run a mile. "_ What did he do? It couldn't have just been, like, adrenaline, could it? _" This girl, it seemed, had far too many questions than was actually good for her. Before she could ask any questions, however, Gohan's sensitive hearing caught the sound of cheers; his natural curiosity made him want to go look, and Erasa, as his guide, felt compelled to follow the boy.

"MR. SATAN, MR. SATAN, MR. SATAN!"

A deafening roar greeted Gohan and Erasa's ears as they stumbled into the crowd of what looked like a parade. Every person in the crowd was shouting "MR. SATAN!" over and over, cheering on a towering mountain of a man — easily 6'10" — muscular, with a thick moustache and afro, both dark black.

"EVERYONE, WELCOME YOUR HERO, AND THE HOST OF THIS CURRENT FESTIVAL, MR. SATAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" A man with slicked black blonde hair, wire-rimmed glasses, and a lanky frame, dressed in a pinstriped suit, bellowed into a microphone. "THIS IS THE MAN WHO HAS SO VALIANTLY AGREED TO COMPETE IN THE CELL GAMES AND SAVE THE WORLD FROM THE TYRANNY OF THAT MONSTER!"

"MR. SATAN! MR. SATAN! MR. SATAN!" The crowd let out another deafening roar, and it was only then that Erasa and Gohan realized exactly where they were; directly in the center of a large festival. Looking around, Gohan could see concession stands, crowds of people gathering at various attractions and games, and the smell of food once again caught his attention. Was this entire procession just for this one man? Gohan couldn't understand why, as he'd never heard of the man. Was he important?

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The man, Mr. Satan, let out a raucous laugh that had the terrible misfortune of striking both children as ear gratingly annoying. "LOYAL CITIZENS, YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR! IN NINE DAYS, I WILL BE COMPETING IN THE CELL GAMES, AND I WILL CRUSH CELL FOR ALL OF YOU TO SEE!" His voice, gravelly and boisterous as it was, was also nothing to smile at.

"BRILLIANT, MR. SATAN!" The unnamed bespectacled exclaimed. "WITH YOU AS OUR CHAMPION, THE CITIZENS OF ORANGE STAR CITY CAN REST PEACEFULLY!"

The crowd began to disperse, everyone heading out to enjoy the festivities, leaving Gohan and Erasa to themselves. Gohan couldn't help but feel a slight sense of worry. This man was competing in the Cell Games? That had to be a mistake, didn't it? He could barely feel any power from that man; in fact, he felt more energy from Master Roshi than Mr. Satan. So had he heard correctly?

Seeing their surroundings, however, gave Erasa a different feeling from Gohan's. A stroke of brilliance, in fact. Wrapping her arm around Gohan's, which immediately flustered the child, she dragged him straight towards the festival. "C'mon, Gohan! I bet you've never seen a festival before, have you?"

"N-no, I haven't," Gohan replied, his face flushing a little due to the proximity of her body to his; her could feel the skin of her arm through the silk of his sleeves.

"Then come on!" She tugged on his arm excitedly, eager to take Gohan to an event like this. With a smile on her face, she led Gohan around the festival, and, as she still had Zeni in her pocket, decided she'd make this her treat as well. Munching happily on grilled-squid-on-a-stick, Gohan let Erasa lead him around, and she seemed to enjoy herself just seeing his reaction to the new sights. Many of the stands and rides were themed around Mr. Satan; it became very apparent that this was a festival to celebrate the man's decision to compete in the Cell Games. Neither Gohan nor Erasa paid this any attention; the two children were far too absorbed in each other's company, the worries of things like the Cell Games put in the back of their heads.

"Gohan!" Erasa skidded to a stop, gasping excitedly, pointing with a free arm at one of the game stands; it was a ring throwing game, and if the winner could land three rings on one pole, they could win the grand prize, a giant plush bear. "Look at the bear! It's cute!" She was practically squealing.

"Do you want it?" Gohan asked, eyeing the stand. It wouldn't be difficult at all to win something like that.

"Can you win it for me?!" She begged, her bright blue eyes practically sparkling with the request. To anyone else, this would seem unfair; who could refuse puppy dog eyes?

"I'll win it for you," The boy promised, and Erasa let go of his arm as they made their way to the stand.

"You here for the ring toss, kid?" A bored looking woman asked, standing behind the counter. "You get one try free; every try after is 200 Zeni." She handed the boy three plastic rings, which he gripped gently; any excess force and he'd have to explain away destroyed property. Gohan kept his eyes on the pole, deftly throwing the first ring. It caught onto the tip of the ring, spiraling down to the base of the pole. Gohan smiled to himself as he threw the remaining two rings, both mimicking the actions of the prior, all three landing around the pole with ease.

"Congrats, kid," The woman droned, much to Gohan and especially Erasa's glee, as she unhooked one of the largest plush bears from the prize rack, and Gohan picked it up, handing it over to Erasa, who struggled to hold the giant bear up. It wasn't heavy, per se, but it was larger than Erasa was, and she stumbled back trying to hold it. Gohan quickly took it himself, placing it on his shoulder. "I'll hold onto it until we're done, alright?" He told her, chuckling to himself.

"Thanks, Gohan," Erasa was smiling broadly, her eyes twinkling with happiness. "I'm going to take good care of it," She said sweetly, and Gohan couldn't help but flush once more. Was the bear that important? In the back of his head, however, he was pleased with himself for winning Erasa a gift she wanted.

The two children, oblivious to time, continued to tour the festival. Erasa wanted to try goldfish scooping next, and despite having some issues with it, Gohan was able to guide the girl's hand and help her use the _poi _to succeed in scooping up the slippery fish. After playing several more games, by which point Gohan had won Erasa a few additional smaller prizes, and the festivities continued well into the evening. It was only when the sun began to set that the two realized just how late it had gotten; had the time truly gotten away from them?

"Oh my gosh!" Erasa looked down at the wristwatch on her hand, panic in her voice. "It's 6:55! I should have been home 20 minutes ago! I have to call my dad, he's going to get worried!"

"Don't worry about it," Gohan replied in a matter-of-fact manner. "I'll walk you back to your house, Erasa."

"R-really?" Erasa blinked, her silvery voice sounding surprised. Admittedly, she wouldn't mind Gohan coming back with her; she hated to have to see him go now, when they'd been having so much fun today. "You'd do that, Gohan?"

"Of course," The hybrid replied with a smile. "I can't just leave you with no one, can I? Besides," He held up the giant bear, as well as the bag of smaller prizes. "I don't just want to let you carry these on home by yourself. Just show me the way, and I'll walk with you."

"No you won't!" A ringing voice shot from behind both Gohan and Erasa. The Saiyan boy's hair quickly stood on end; a new, yet familiar scent caught his nose, pungent, like cinnamon. It was a smell of confrontation, and he recognized it all too well; it was his mother's own scent when she was angry. Both blondes turned to see a small girl in a white t-shirt and jean shorts with black hair tied into a side ponytail who was wearing a furious expression. She marched over to Gohan, a hand on her hip, and jabbed the boy in the chest with her index finger.

"I don't know who you are, but Erasa doesn't bring any boy home, at all!" She snapped, her blue-eyes meeting Gohan's. Unlike the warmth of Erasa's, these were cold and hard, more akin to a rugged sapphire than the pools that Erasa's were. Her forceful way of speaking reminded Gohan heavily of his own mother, and it made him uncomfortable as he edged back a bit. "You're why she did the exact opposite of what I asked and wandered off!?"

"W-wait, I can explain!" Gohan replied frantically, trying to muster up the courage to say something in response to this rabid girl.

"Videl, I was only showing him around the city!" Erasa replied hastily, trying to defend herself and her new friend. "He was new in town, and he looked lost, and..." She trailed off under Videl's enraged glare.

"And then there's you!" Videl cried shrilly, causing several shocked people to look in their direction. "I asked you to do one thing — one thing! — and that was to not wander off! And you do just that!" She began to wheeze heavily, the stress of yelling at these two kids was beginning to get to her. "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you? I've been looking for you for several hours — HOURS!" Her voice, if possible, began to shrill further, to the point that it pierced Gohan's far more sensitive ears and causing him to instinctively wince.

"I get it!" Erasa's voice was defeated, conceding that she had, in fact, given her friend too much trouble. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to help him out. He couldn't pay for his food, and when we started to talk, I lost track of the time, alright? I didn't mean to cause you this much trouble, Videl!"

Videl sighed, placing a hand to her forehead. "You're always like this, always! It's like that time when we were five, and you wandered off at the carnival. Do you remember how much explaining my Dad had to do to the relatives of that poor clown?" Whatever this topic was about, it was apparently one of Videl's hot buttons. "I'm taking you home, let's go!" She snapped, and grabbed Erasa by the wrist. The blonde girl flashed an apologetic look to Gohan; she couldn't find any words for her friend's actions at this point.

"I guess this is good-bye, Gohan?" The girl said morosely, looking slightly downcast.

"Yeah..." Gohan replied dully; he couldn't see anything to be gained from arguing with this new Videl girl. He really wanted to spend more time with Erasa, but this girl obviously wasn't going to allow something like that. Gently, he put the bag of prizes in her hand, and handed her the giant bear he'd won for her; once again, Erasa stumbled with it, but tried to keep a firm grip on it. "I really did have fun!" Gohan called out to her as Videl quite literally dragged the girl away. "Thank you!" He waved at her.

"Gohan!" A voice from the sky, all too familiar to the boy, called out to him. "So this is where you've been, huh?" Gohan looked up to see his father descending; clad in orange jacket, white t-shirt, green pants, and brown boots — clothes the boy's mother had bought the man in a bid to get him to wear something other than gi. In a state of passive Super Saiyan as well, this man was Son Goku, the father of Gohan.

"Dad?" Gohan almost spluttered in surprise. "Why'd you come all the way out here?"

"Your mother was worried, so she sent me to come get you." Goku replied airily. "'What if he's been kidnapped!? Or got hit by a car? Or ran into a group of thugs?'" Goku put on a very bad imitation of his wife's voice to give Gohan the picture of what was happening at home. "She's worried, so we should head home son."

"Sure..." Gohan agreed, flashing Erasa another look as he and his father rose high into the air. The girl was still looking at Gohan as her best friend dragged her away, but when she saw him float into the air with no support, her look of sadness changed into one of utter shock.

"_ He can fly!_" She gaped, recalling their earlier discussion of where he lived. That was how he'd been able to get here on a whim; he could fly!

The father and son duo flew off into the sky, against the setting sun, and Gohan couldn't help but smile to himself. Despite how the day ended, he'd quite enjoyed spending time in the city, with Erasa. It was only at this point that he realized that, during this entire day, he'd barely thought about the Cell Games once. Even now, he was wondering if he would see Erasa again.

Little did the boy know that this was not to be their last meeting. It's funny how fate works.

* * *

**Author's Note**: _So, here it is guys! The first chapter of the Erased Chronicles! I didn't expect to start it so soon, but I really couldn't wait to jump into it the moment I finished with the _Neptunia Mk2: Conquest Ending: Resolution _and I can just say I had a LOT of fun writing this chapter up. Let me clear a few things up real quick; to those who don't know, the Room of Spirit and Time is the Japanese term for "Hyperbolic Time Chamber", and that term stuck with me after reading the manga. The same applies to Shénlóng; this was the term used in the English Adaptation of the manga. It's chinese for "Dragon God", and given Dragon Ball's Chinese themes, I found it more fitting than Shenron or "Shinryu", which would be the Japanese name for the Eternal Dragon._

So, here's hoping this series is a success. This is just the prologue everyone, so don't worry! The real story will begin in Chapter 2, so please hang with me until then!


	2. The Return

_It has been seven years since Earth's most recent crisis; a terrifying event called the Cell Games. Earth's greatest heroes gathered in a tournament to the death that would decide the fate of the Earth by meeting the monster Cell in combat. The planet was able to live to see another day through the sacrifice of the noble Son Goku, who gave his life to defeat Cell, and the combined efforts of the young Saiyan Son Gohan, and the prideful Saiyan Prince Vegeta, who ensured the creature was destroyed utterly._

_Despite losing its greatest hero, Earth finds itself in a state of peace. Years after the defeat of Cell, the Earthlings, blind to the efforts of the thankless Z-Fighters, frolic in peace, worshiping a new hero, Mr. Satan. Despite this, the lives of the Earth's special forces continue, even without Goku. And Gohan's greatest adventure begins. What would that be?_

_His first day of secondary schooling._

* * *

"Gohan, honey, come down or you're going to be late!" The ringing voice of Chi-Chi, Gohan's mother, and wife of Goku, came from the kitchen as Gohan was putting on his new secondary school uniform. To be honest, he didn't need his mother to remind him about this day — to be truthful, the thought of returning to Orange Star City had kept Gohan up for the entire night. He was both excited, and even rather nervous, since he would finally be attending an actual school with real people. He couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the man who saved the world being nervous about his first day of school.

"I'm on my way down, mom!" Gohan called down from his room, snatching up his bookbag as he closed the door behind him, heading into the kitchen to say good-bye to his mother. To someone who hadn't seen Gohan's family since the Cell Games, if they entered the kitchen with him, they would have noticed an important new addition to the Son family. Since Goku's passing, seven years ago in the Cell Games, Chi-Chi had given birth to his second child, a young boy named Son Goten. A dead ringer for his father, the boy was an energetic child who idolized his older brother.

"Alright, Mom, I'm about to head out," Gohan said, ruffling his brother's hair cheerfully. "If I go now, I think I'll make it on time."

"I'm so proud of you, Gohan," Chi-Chi said, tearing up slightly. "Your first day of public schooling...I can't say your father would be proud, the kind of man he was, but I still wish he was here to see this."

Gohan couldn't help but internally agree as to how his father wouldn't be the least bit impressed in his attending a school, as the man had never had a day of proper schooling in his life, but he didn't actually voice this to avoid ruining his mother's good mood.

"Here you go Gohan," Chi-Chi took a small bentō box from the counter, handing it to Gohan. "Your lunch! Have a great first day, alright?"

"Thanks, Mom!" Gohan accepted the bentō happily; if he and his father had any similarities, it would be the Saiyan love of food. Part of him wanted to eat it right now, but he thought it best to save it until he got to school.

"Gohan, can I come with you!?" Goten asked eagerly, rushing over to his brother. It made Goten sad to see Gohan have to leave; he'd never really been away from Gohan since he'd been born.

"Sorry kiddo," Gohan knelt down in front of Goten, ruffling the boy's hair again. "You have to be a bit older before you can go to my school. Don't worry, I'll be back quick, I promise!" Realizing he couldn't dawdle anymore, Gohan jumped up, dashing out the door as Goten watched him huffily.

"Kinto'un!" Gohan called out into the sky, leaping into the air, only to be caught by a flying golden cloud. Sitting cross-legged, the cloud shot straight into the air, heading towards Satan City. The last thing Gohan heard from his mother before his house was out his hearing range was "Watch out for airplanes, dear!"

Flying through the sky at 643 km/h, Kinto'un tore across the forest, heading straight for Satan City. As he sat on his fluffy perch, Gohan could only think of what his school was going to be like. He hadn't been to this city in years, certainly not trying to pass off as a normal human. Just the thought of that was ludicrous. After a half hour, Gohan saw the city come into view. It was a nostalgic sight, the same sight he'd see when he'd visited seven years ago.

"The edge of town...I ought to get off now," He hoisted himself up, leaping off of the flying cloud, which tore off in another direction. "Thanks for the ride, Kinto'un!" Gohan called back, waving at it. "Pick me up for the ride home!" Landing neatly on the ground, Gohan was confronted with a large sign, adorned with the face of Mr. Satan. Emblazoned on the sign, in bold letters, was SATAN CITY.

The hybrid snickered at this. "_Oh Dad. If only you were here. You'd love to see this._ _The world still believes Mr. Satan saved them all from Cell. They even named a city after him,_" Raising a finger to his chin thoughtfully, he was surprised to see that this didn't bother him, despite the fact that his mother despised Mr. Satan for stealing what she saw as Gohan's credit. "_That's probably for the best. Gohan City doesn't have the same ring to it_." The boy took off at a light sprint, trying to maintain a human speed. His mother and he both agreed on one thing — hiding his powers from the public was best. As he looked at his watch, however, he realised he really was running short on time.

"I really might have dawdled at home too long," The boy thought, folding his sleeve back over his digital wristwatch. Stopping, he checked around the corners. The street was quiet, with no one around to see him. "Alright...no one around. Let's push it!" The boy tore off down the sidewalk, keeping his steps light to avoid crushing the ground, as if he was gliding, but moving at a speed that tore past any car, causing a driver and his wife to skid to a stop, checking back to make sure their eyes hadn't been playing tricks on them.

"Excellent!" Gohan thought aloud, whizzing down the empty sidewalk. "At this pace, I might make it with a few minutes to spare." A sound, however, quickly caught Gohan's sensitive Saiyan ears, a sound that told him exactly why this side of the street was as empty as it was.

Gunfire.

"Not now...!" Gohan gritted his teeth; even faced with the choice of going to intervene, or actually make it to class on time, Gohan already knew which choice he would make, and quickly tore off towards the sound of the guns. The scene, by human standards, was already horrific; it was a shoot out in front of the Satan City Bank, several police officers were ducking behind their cars, all of which were riddled with bullets, in a desperate attempt to avoid the criminals use of firearms. Much to Gohan's horror, he could feel very weak ki signals inside the bank, fading quickly. People were dying.

"Not again...!" Gohan groaned in exasperation. "For a city where the hero lives, it sure has an excessive amount of crime." Ducking behind the bank, Gohan gave another look around, before stashing his book-bag into a bush. "I don't want anyone to know it's me, so I suppose I'd better..." Within an instant, Gohan had transformed into a Super Saiyan. Having long since mastered the form under his father's not so strenuous training regimen of 'spend an entire week as a Super Saiyan', transforming was second nature to him now. Gohan almost felt relaxed as the the soothing warmth of the Full-Powered Super Saiyan state spread throughout his body; it was like stepping into a sauna.

"Just try to take us, pigs!" One of the masked robbers cried out, firing a barrage of bullets towards the cowering police. The bullets pierced the sides of the cars, and shot through windowpane, shattering glass as it sent the crowd in a panic. Gohan deftly jumped into the air, and quickly dispatched two of the criminals through a swift kick to the chin and a sharp jab to the back of the head, causing both to collapse to the ground as Gohan landed in the back of their pick-up truck.

"Look!" An elderly man emerged from hiding behind a building, dusting off his suit and straightening his glasses. "It's him, everyone! The Golden Warrior!"

At this name, a few other cowering individuals crawled out from their hiding spots.

"The Golden Warrior is back!?"

"He's really back!? But it's been a month since he last arrived!"

"Sock it to him, Golden Warrior!"

And then there was this little situation. While the world remained blissfully ignorant of Gohan's defeat of Cell, Satan City knew Gohan as a hero through the name of the "Golden Warrior", a superhuman who appeared occasionally to fight off crime in Satan City. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about this kind of attention, to be honest. It was one of the reasons he was glad Mr. Satan enjoyed hogging attention.

"You little shit! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?" The remaining criminal, in a panic, pointed his weapon directly at Gohan and opened fire.

In the blink of an eye, the adolescent grabbed each and every bullet from the air, crushing the bullets within his palm. Holding out his hand for the criminal to see, Gohan let the flattened bullets fall straight to the ground. As the criminal backed away in horror, speechless at this display of superhuman ability, Gohan leaped into the air, slamming his foot into the man's face with a jump side-kick, sending him careening onto his back, the boy landing with both feet onto the cement.

"H-he's a monster! Let's get out of here!" The two criminals Gohan had subdued not a minute ago were scrambling back into their truck, which roared to life as they put the key in the ignition. Shifting the truck into drive and slamming their foot onto the accelerator, the criminals frantically tried to escape from the justice that Gohan was delivering.

Gohan turned, standing up to full height as he kept the truck in his watchful eyes. Standing absolutely still, it almost seemed like the criminals were going to make a get-a-way, until Gohan raised his hand, pointing it directly at the escaping vehicle.

"HAH!"

With a mighty yell, Gohan released a _kiai_, a powerful, invisible force that shot forward, tipping the truck over, the vehicle skidding along the street, throwing the doors open, but the force of the collision cramming the criminals inside.

"W-who was that guy...?" One of the criminals groaned, squeezed into the seat of his own car. Gohan, meanwhile, dashed back to where his book-bag was hidden while everyone was distracted, reverting back to his normal form. Walking out to see a bewildered police force, a strange scent caught his nose. Pungent, like cinnamon, it causes his hair to stand on end, and worse, smelled familiar.

"Hey, you!" A sharp voice caught his ear, coming from behind him. Almost jumping into the air, Gohan turned, nervously coming face to face with a girl around the same age as he was, with dark black pigtails, pale skin, and piercing blue-eyes that matched her very angry expression. She was also wearing a white t-shirt with black biker shorts, and her gaze was focused intently on Gohan. When she spoke again, it was just as sharp as before, and she sounded every bit as angry as she looked. "Who did that?!" She jabbed her gloved hand in the direction of the wreckage caused by the 'Golden Warrior'. "That hardly looks like something the cops would pull off."

"Um...I don't know..." Gohan lied quickly, backing away as slowly as he could, now that her attention seemed focused on the crime scene. "I-I didn't see it..."

The girl slammed her fist into her palm, grinding her teeth. "And after I came running! _I _should have been the one who stopped them!" At this, Gohan quickly began sneaking away from the violent girl, eager to put as much space between inquiring minds and himself as he could.

"Oh! Miss Videl!" One of the citizens who had seen Gohan dispatch the criminals came rushing over to the girl, eager to tell her what he saw. "I was wondering when you'd show up! I saw the whole thing! It was the Golden Warrior!"

Videl let out an exasperated sigh. "The Golden Warrior? _Again_? This is the third time already!"

"It was amazing!" The old man was raving by this point. "He was so fast and powerful! He handled the crooks so easily...and he flipped over the getaway car with just...a yell..." The elderly man trailed off, realizing how ridiculous he sounded, despite every word being true. "As a matter of fact, isn't he a friend of yours? He wears the same badge you have, so I assume he must go to Orange Star High School." The man gestured to the badge on Videl's shirt, a white circle with an orange star, that held a large 'S' inside it.

"Huh!?" Videl was taken aback by this little revelation. "All the students at school wear this badge. Could there really be a student like that? Someone with golden hair?"

Gohan, far out of earshot of this little conversation, had only caught the name of the girl before he had fled. Videl? That named sounded so familiar...had he met that bothersome girl before?

* * *

**Orange Star High School - Classroom 3B**

The sound of chattering filled the crowded classroom. Students talking about the homework they should have done but didn't, whether or not they'd actually get a substitute teacher, dodging crumpled up paper balls thrown in their direction, or some just watching the clock as it ticked its way to 8:00 AM. The future leaders of society at their finest.

One girl sat near the far right edge of the third row in the classroom, was a girl with cropped blonde hair, bright blue-eyes, wearing a striped green tube top and and jeans, with a similar badge to Videl and Gohan's perched on her shirt's torso. Oblivious to the chatter around her, her thoughts were drifting to the recent news of the Golden Warrior having returned to Satan City. "_A Golden Fighter..._" She chewed on the tip of her pen, lost in own thoughts. "_Just like those fighters from the Cell Game videos...and just like him. But it couldn't be...could it?_"

"Hey Sharpener," The sharp voice of Videl snapped the girl out of her haze. "Tell me; are _you_ the Golden Warrior?"

"Oh please," A boy with back-length, pale blonde hair, who resembled an adult more than a teenager, scoffed at the notion. "As if I would have the time to run around the city playing 'hero'." He moved his blonde hair out of his eyes, as if trying to impress Videl with the motion. "How could I? I had boxing practice this morning."

"_But if it is him..._" The blonde had a sudden stroke of genius. Turning to her best friend, she casually threw out an idea that was sure to be shot down. "Hey Videl, you ever consider this 'Golden Warrior' might be stronger than your dad?"

"Stronger than Videl's dad?" One of the boys in the row in front of them, a bespectacled boy with red hair and freckles, snickered. "Come off it, Mr. Satan is the strongest man on the planet. He could probably take this Golden Warrior with both hands behind his back!"

"If you say so..." The blonde murmured, her attention now captured by the sound of a throat clearing.

Their homeroom teacher, Mr. Fahcolty, entered the classroom. He was elderly, his hair bright white with a receding hairline, and a thick white moustache. Adjusting the thick glasses that adorned his face, he turned to speak to the class at large. "Greetings, my young...scholars..." He tread over that last word word carefully; as rowdy as this class was, they barely deserved to have the term 'student' applied, much less a more esteemed title such as 'scholar'. "A transfer student has decided to grace our school with his presence — and this young man actually knows how to read."

A few people flinched at that; it was quite like Mr. Fahcolty to take a pot shot at the class, but who could blame him? Even with Videl, who wasn't exactly unintelligent, class 3B had the lowest average in Orange Star High School.

"Son, you may enter," Mr. Fahcolty called outside the door, and a young man entered the room, looking around the classroom quietly. "Go on, introduce yourself."

"H-hello..." The boy looked around the classroom nervously, trying to take everything in. "My name is Son Gohan. It's nice to meet everyone!"

"_Son Gohan_?" The blonde girl knew that name; she knew it very well in fact, even though she'd only met the person who the named belonged to for one day, seven years ago. "_I knew it! It has to be him! That face...and that name..._"

"Son Gohan here has proven to be an exceptional student, making perfect scores on every single one of his entrance exams — English, Chemistry, Mathematics," Mr. Fahcolty shot Sharpener a stern look over the rim of his glasses. "_Several _of you could do well to learn from young Gohan's example."

"Example this!" A student in the far back of the classroom made a shrill, high-pitched whistling noise, causing several other students to laugh in reaction.

"All of you, quiet down!" Mr. Fahcolty shouted above the ruckus of the students. "Every one of you kids are an embarrassment to public school!" He rubbed the bridge of his nose, sitting down at the teacher's desk in the front of the classroom, muttering something about a transfer. "Gohan, you may take any free seat you wish."

"Oh, alright!" Gohan looked around, scanning the room for a seat that looked comfortable.

"Hey, new kid!" The blonde girl stood up, waving in Gohan's direction. "Come on over here, the seat next to me is free!" She gestured towards the empty wooden seat on the edge of the row next to her.

"T-thank you!" Gohan quickly made his way over to the third row's seat, taking his place next to the blonde girl, who was giving him a scrutinizing look.

"Nice to meet you, Gohan," The girl spoke with a silvery voice that range a familiar bell in Gohan's ear. It was only just coming to him now that he'd sat down, but among all the humans present, this girl had the strongest scent, and it seemed like one he'd encountered before. While the artificial scents of shampoo and conditioner were present, the girl's scent was naturally sweet, inviting even. "I'm Erasa. The tough looking one next to me is my friend, Videl." She jabbed her thumb at a girl with piercing blue-eyes and ebony hair, a girl that seemed to be analyzing Gohan hard.

The girl he'd met in front of the bank just this morning.

"_I suppose my name didn't ring any bells at all,_" Erasa thought to herself, her shimmering blue-eyes locked on Gohan. "_I'll have to take more...direct measures, when class lets out_." Hoping to prod Gohan into conversation, she continued, "You'll never guess who she is, would you? This girl is Mr. Satan's daughter."

"_The_ Mr. Satan?" Gohan exclaimed, surprised. "That must be interesting, being a celebrity's daughter and all."

"I figured you'd be surprised." Erasa chuckled at Gohan's reaction; he as was amusing as he ever had been, she noted. "He was the man who defeated Cell, or so they say. It's why they named the city after him."

"Ya don't say..." Gohan made sure to avoid that topic. No accounting for taste, right?

"Wait...I know you!" Videl peered towards Gohan from Erasa's side. "I saw you at the bank this morning!"

"Yeah, that was me..." Gohan replied slowly. This girl...did she have something against him? "_I've never met someone quite so persistent and forceful...aside from my mother..._"

"Oh, the bank, was it?" Erasa pried, ever curious at this point. "Wasn't that where the _Golden Warrior_ was?" She emphasized the title, looking directly at Gohan.

"The Golden...Warrior?" Gohan parroted the word, confused. "Is that another celebrity?"

"You don't know?" Erasa raised an eyebrow in Gohan's direction. "The Golden Warrior is the local town superhero. They say he's a superhuman with glowing, golden hair, and super-strength. He's already made a name for himself as a silent deliverer of justice." Both Erasa and Videl were looking in Gohan's direction at this; Videl was still analyzing the boy, but Erasa's look was different. It was a look of knowing.

"_They're talking about **me**...!_" Gohan tried to slip out of view at the mention of his exploits. "_The two times I came here to register for school...and the bank robbery this morning!_"

"Come to think of it..." Videl flashed Gohan a sharp glare. "I heard the Golden Warrior was wearing a white shirt, black vest, khaki pants, and our school's badge. Funny...that sounds just like what you're wearing."

"_T-this girl...!" _Gohan flashed a look of brief panic, and could have sworn he saw a smile slip across Erasa's face.

"Would you look at that?" Erasa said in a singsong voice. "Gohan, you and the Golden Warrior have the same fashion sense."

"Y-yeah..." The hybrid teenager replied weakly. "What are the odds?"

"_What are the odds indeed?_" The blonde girl thought.

"Oh come on, Videl!" Sharpener argued. "Look at this kid. Does he look like any kind of fighter? Besides, his hair is pitch black, not blonde."

"Quiet down, all of you!" Mr. Fahcolty called out from in front of the blackboard.

* * *

**Orange Star High School P.E. Field**

After indoor classes, the students filed out onto the field for Physical Education. Gohan wasn't quite sure how he felt about this. On the one hand, just getting out of the classroom and into the fresh air was a relief. Everyone had stopped gossiping about the Golden Warrior by this point, and were caught up in their own conversations. On the other hand, physical education was what Gohan had been dreading.

"Today," The coach, a burly looking man with very short, black hair and a thick moustache of matching colour, stood in front of the class, "we will be playing a game of baseball. Everyone, go and pick your teams."

"You any good at baseball?" Sharpener was the first to confront Gohan before anyone could even start selecting their teammates.

"Well, I've never played," Gohan admitted, "but I have read several books on it, so I think I have a good grasp on the rules."

"Never played baseball, he says," Sharpener let out an exasperated sigh, "you really must be from the boonies."

"Whose team are we putting him on then?" Videl asked, sounding slightly annoyed. She and Sharpener were each on opposing teams, and she didn't quite feel like being stuck with the new kid who didn't know the first thing about how to play the game.

"He's on our team, of course!" Erasa insisted, shocking the three at her side. She tugged on Gohan's sleeve, pulling him slightly closer. "Don't worry Videl, I'm confident that Gohan can handle something like baseball. All you need to do is watch what he can do."

"Are you sure about this...?" The black-haired girl inquired uncertainly. "He doesn't look like he'll able to do anything at all..."

"Trust me, he can. Aren't I right, Gohan?" Erasa said pointedly, edging closer to Gohan and winking. Flustered, the boy nodded, confused as to why Erasa would place that much confidence in him, though, he had to admit his own physical skills were more than likely the best out of everyone present.

"I guess we're stuck with you," Videl conceded reluctantly. "Go take right field. You do know where that is, right?"

"Yes, I know," Gohan put his baseball cap on, grabbed the mitt, and proceeded to the outer sight side of the field. "_I need to make myself look like a bad player,_" Gohan thought to himself, a few minutes into the game, the crack of the baseball bat ringing in his ears. "_Mom and Bulma told me that if the general public knows what I can do, it'd cause too much of an uproar. Humans sure can be difficult to live with..._" Lost in his own thoughts, Gohan didn't notice that Erasa was watching him carefully.

Clearing his throat, Sharpener stepped up to bat, his teammates calling out for him to hit a home-run. Sharpener was just an all-around athletic student; boxing was just his preference.

"Heh heh..." Videl chuckled, standing on the pitcher's mound, preparing to throw the ball. "I'm not makin' this easy on you!" Placing all her force behind it, Videl threw a fastball, proving herself to be a power pitcher. With ease, Sharpener retaliated, swinging the bat to meet the oncoming ball. With a loud _KLANG!_, the ball shot high into the air.

"Whoah, did you see that hit!?" One of the students exclaimed from the sidelines.

No sooner had Sharpener started to run, than the entire class gasped with shock. Reacting with lightning quick reflexes, Gohan had leapt into the air, catching the ball with ease. Casually floating, blissfully unaware of the shocked looks of his class, the Saiyan teenager analyzed the field. "_The runner on third's left the base...so that means, if I throw to third, I can get him out!_" Gripping the ball, the boy tried desperately to control his strength. "Alright now..." He thought aloud to himself. "Steady...nice and slow..." As softly as he could, Gohan threw the ball downwards toward the baseman on third.

"Whoah, whoah, whoah, whoah!" The poor student panicked as the ball collided him with the force of a powerful punch; stronger than any ball Videl had thrown. Placing his barehand behind the mitt, the baseman tried to absorb the impact as the colliding ball lifted him off his feet slightly, throwing him back onto the ground and off his base. In the mitt, the ball was spiraling until it stopped, smoking slightly from the friction.

"Uh...he's out?" The boy on left field called out uncertainly.

As Gohan descended, he was greeted by the shocked faces of his classmates. Covering his face with the brim of his hat, he tried to walk by without meeting their gazes. "_I guess that was a little much..._"

The only person in class who didn't seem surprised at this was Erasa, who was watching Gohan with a satisfied expression on her face. "_That jump was just as fast as when he saved me from the car!_" She thought, positively beside herself. "_It is you, Gohan!_"

"Hey, kid..." The coach shot Gohan a perplexed look. "Did you just...how did you just jump 9 meters into the air?"

"It was an accident!" Gohan explained away quickly, ducking past the coach on his way to the bench. "That's right, just an accident!" Naturally, no one bought that excuse, but they didn't press the matter further. No sooner had Gohan sat down, however, than he heard, "Batter up!", and remembered it was his turn to bat. Picking up the metal bat, Gohan made his way over to the batter's box.

"I wonder if the new kid swings as hard as he throws..." One Gohan's classmates muttered off on the sidelines.

"Are you left-handed, kid?" The coach looked at Gohan, baffled, as the boy took up a power stance in the left-handed batter's box.

"I can't do it this way?" Gohan inquired, looking back at his coach, equally as confused as the man himself.

"You can, but your grip is wrong." The man continued.

"Huh? Grip?" Gohan repeated in bewilderment.

"...Why don't we just let you try it and see how it goes?" The coach conceded, as he was at the end of his tether with this line of conversation.

Sharpener took his place on the pitcher's mound, smirking as he watched the inexperienced form of Gohan try and figure out what he was supposed to do. "Stupid hick...stealin' my home-run? Why don't I give you a good scare?"

"_Watch it..._" Gohan thought to himself. "_Everyone's already nervous around me...I'd better not swing the bat._"

"_Here I go! Better jump for the moon, kid, or you're dead!_" Sharpener threw the ball with all his might, sending a fastball that rivaled Videl's own barreling towards Gohan, who simply stood there, waiting. Within seconds, the ball collided with full force into Gohan's face, knocking off the boy's hat, and causing nearly everyone present to react in stunned disbelief.

Sharpener himself could only stand there as his jaw nearly hit the floor. "That...idiot! Why didn't you get out of the way!?"

Oblivious to the shocked stares of nearly everyone, Gohan stood up straight, turning to the coach. "Hey coach, that's a 'hit batter', right?"

"Y-yeah..." The stunned man could barely speak as Gohan threw the bat down, utterly pleased with himself.

"_That worked like a charm!_" Gohan thought, running towards first base. "_I got on base and I didn't have to do anything superhuman!_"

Shuddering, Sharpener could only look at Gohan with shock. "Just...what the hell is this guy?"

"_Not much longer now,_" Erasa thought, watching Gohan's progression out of the batter's box.

* * *

**Orange Star High School - Locker Hall, Near Exit **

As the final bell rang, and the sun was beginning to set, every classroom was starting to let out. Gohan, eager to get home, was already at his locker before most other students had crowded the hallway with the chatter of gossip. Taking all the textbooks he'd need for this day's homework assignments, he closed the locker, just in time to hear Sharpener call for his attention.

"Gohan, right? You thought about joining any clubs yet?" Quick to the point, Sharpener was.

"I haven't given it any thought, actually..." Gohan knew that clubs were a big part of high school life, but he hadn't considered joining any clubs when he enrolled in school. Given his mother thought it best he keep a low profile, attending school and leaving quickly was the best plan of action.

"Then go out for boxing!" Sharpener suggested, giving Gohan the first genuine smile he'd seen from the boy the entire day at school. "You're a lot stronger than I'd given you credit for; you'd be a great fighter, with proper training!"

Doing his best not to laugh at the irony of this statement, Gohan shook his head. "Um...I actually don't think I can go out for any clubs...since..."

"His commute to and from school takes forever, Sharpener!" A silvery voice, coupled with the familiar, sweet scent of Erasa caught Gohan's nose once more; it looked like she'd come to rescue him from this conversation, much to his relief. He hadn't had any excuse ready to refuse. "He lives all the way out in the village in East District 439. He's probably going to be late just wasting time talking."

"Just like I thought, the boonies," Sharpener walked off past the two of them, waving offhandedly. "Alright then, see you two tomorrow! Consider the boxing club, Gohan!"

"Thanks for coming in like that...Erasa, right?" Gohan croaked, very much relieved to see Sharpener leave. "I didn't really have an excuse ready to refuse his offer..."

"Oh don't worry about it," Erasa giggled at Gohan's innocence. "You never have been good at lying."

"What?" Gohan blinked rapidly, confused at this. She was talking like she knew him. To be honest, her scent did smell familiar; it registered somewhere in his brain, pleasant memories of times gone by.

"I've actually been meaning to say something to you," Erasa turned around quickly, carrying on as if Gohan hadn't said anything. "Good work blending in today, _Golden Warrior_."

* * *

**Author's Note**: _And here we are at chapter two! Glad to see everyone could make it, because now we're really starting the story and we're about to pick up steam! As with before, lemme get just a few things out of the way; first off, Kinto'un is the Japanese name for the Flying Nimbus Cloud that Goku owns. It literally means "Somersault Cloud"...creative genius on the part of Toriyama, really. I'd also like to apologize to anyone whose is reading this, plays baseball, and thinks the baseball scene is a little clunky. I do not play the sport myself, and it was a very difficult scene to write. Something else you all will notice is that this does carry on from some of the canon material in the series; there will be chapters like that, that tie directly into the canon, but I promise to do my best to work in original dialogue, and given this is Gohan and Erasa's story, their reaction to events will be key!_

I'd like to give a thanks to my friend, Demod20, who helped me with the baseball terms this chapter, as well as gave it the first read before I put it up on the website, to make sure it was shipshape! I'll see you all in chapter 3, so hang tight!


	3. Exposed?

"I've actually been meaning to say something to you," Erasa turned around quickly, carrying on as if Gohan hadn't said anything. "Good work blending in today, _Golden Warrior_."

"G-Golden Warrior!?" Gohan backed away, eager to avoid this topic as quickly as he could. This girl can't have found him out, it was impossible! Wasn't it? "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh spare me," Erasa laughed, a chiming, silvery laugh that was infectious, causing Gohan to briefly forget why he was nervous. "I told you, Gohan. You've never been good at this whole lying business. But, since you've obviously confused, I'll tell you what," She continued, walking over to Gohan, and, despite being shorter than him, seemed to have a presence that put her right on his level. "Meet me after school tomorrow. I'll explain everything you've forgotten."

Erasa turned her back and walked out of the school building, leaving a very bewildered and confused Gohan to follow outside. "_What does she mean? What could I have possibly forgotten?_" Lost in his thoughts, he walked away from the school building, putting some distance between himself and any potential onlookers before calling for Kinto'un. "_She seems to know me...and her scent and name are both familiar...why can't I place it?_" Gohan couldn't help but laugh inwardly as he realized his mother had told him a story quite like this, about how his father proposed to her, after having forgotten her over the course of several years.

"_I can't be as forgetful as Dad, can I?_" The hybrid may have admired his father for his strength and nobility, but intelligence — and to be frank, anything that involved conscious use of the brain — had never been Goku's strong suit. Lost in his thoughts, it took him several moments to notice a very weak energy following him.

Videl, apparently, had taken to stalking him.

"_Is she for real?_" The boy through incredulously, looking back slightly. He saw her duck away behind a building, and took that chance to quickly turn the corner, leaping into the air, scaling a four-story building with seconds. Landing lightly on the edge of the building's room, Gohan looked down to see Videl frantically trying to see where he'd disappeared too.

"I think she's going to be a large cause of my stress," The Saiyan muttered to himself as he wiped sweat from his brow in relief. Looking at his watch, he saw it was nearly 8 PM. "Oh no! If I don't get home now, Mom's going to kill me! Kinto'un!" Hearing the familiar sound of the Somersault Cloud, Gohan deftly leaped from the roof, landing directly on the surface of his father's heirloom cloud. "Talk about a rough day, Kinto'un! Let's get home at full speed, or I think we'll both get an earful!"

Responding to its owner's commands, the cloud tore through the air top speed, flying over the trees and mountains on its way to get Gohan back to his village.

"_Erasa...where have I met you before..._?"

* * *

**East District 439, Base of Mount Paozu, Son Residence**

"Mom, Goten, I'm home!" Gohan called out through the house, kicking off his shoes as he entered. The smell of food filling his nostrils, he quickly headed into the kitchen, where he saw his mother was already about to set dinner down. His mother's cooking, to Gohan at least, beat out anything a restaurant could put out.

"Welcome back, dear!" Chi-Chi smiled in the direction of her eldest son, and then turned her eyes to the clock, which read 7:55. "And it looks like you _just _made it back in time for dinner. Do you need to get Kinto'un checked?" Checked for what was anybody's guess; what would ail a flying magical cloud?

"Heh..." Gohan chuckled weakly, lightly pulling out one of the chairs at the table. "That was my fault, Mom. I think I wasted a little too much time after school had let out." It was truly amazing how the son of the strongest man on the planet became so meek in front of his mother.

"Well, try not to cut it that close to the wire again," Chi-Chi reprimanded her son, but it was a light scolding. Perhaps she was lessening her restraints on Gohan as he was getting older. Or it was simply imagination. "So, dear, how was your first day of school?"

"It actually went pretty well," Gohan replied, obviously omitting any mention of the bank robbery to his overprotective mother. "The classes aren't much to speak of, and I might be getting the hang of this 'blending in' you and Bulma want me to do. I also met a girl, her name was Erasa."

"A girl!?" Chi-Chi immediately dropped the bowl of rice she was holding, the clay bowl crashing to the ground with a shattering noise. "W-what do you mean a girl!?" Her voice was reaching a fever-pitch by this point; she was nearly raving. "What kind of hussy tried to accost my baby!?"

As Gohan had thought, any thought of his mother loosening up was simply imagination.

"It's nothing like that, Mom!" Gohan quickly hurried over to pick up the shattered bowl and clean up the wasted rice. "You can calm down, she was actually...great, especially when you compare her to several other students in the class." Naturally, Gohan was comparing Erasa to Sharpener and Videl. "Please don't make a huge scene, especially when I only just got back."

"Great!? Did you just call her great!?" The raving housewife interrogated, all thoughts of cooking and dinner completely gone from her mind as she kept drawing up worst-case scenarios. "Oh no...what if he drops out of school...becomes a teenage father with three kids and some Jezebel who cares more about money than their relationship...he'll never become a scholar, my dreams for him will be ruined...!"

She continued like this for several minutes more, until Gohan finally worked up the nerve to speak.

"Mom, please calm down!" Gohan insisted, speaking as loudly as he could over her ravings to bring her back to Earth. "There is nothing going on between myself or _anyone _at my school! I only just started today, and she was only being friendly, so can you please let it go?"

"Being friendly is how it starts, Goha—" Chi-Chi began, before her son cut her off.

"Mother, please, let it go!" He insisted, and Chi-Chi finally relented. Goten, who had been sitting silently the entire time, not wanting to have his mother round on him, finally found a chance to speak. "Gohan, after dinner, let's go outside and play! Can we!?"

Before Gohan could even speak, his mother cut him off. "Now Goten, don't interfere with your brother's studies. He has to do his homework after he eats, and then it's right to bed for both of you!"

"Aw, no fair!" Goten pouted, puffing his cheeks out as he crossed his arms, obviously upset.

"Don't worry, Goten," Gohan whispered to the boy under his breath. "All my assignments are simple. Give me half an hour and we can sneak out the window while Mom is asleep!"

This brightened the young Saiyan's mood considerably, and both left their mother none the wiser.

As the family of three finally seemed to have dropped the subject, Chi-Chi was able to set the table within the next half hour. Just like their father before them, Goten and Gohan were quick to begin eating everything in sight, chewing and swallowing food within seconds of taking a bite. While Chi-Chi had tried to teach them manners, a Saiyan became a sight to behold when he was eating.

"You know, Gohan," Chi-Chi put down her rice-bowl and chopsticks, looking her done dead in the eye, "when your father was here you were less whimsical with such careless distractions. Your grades were always high and the only thing you thought about besides your studies was gallivanting off with him on another adventure." She let out a theatrical sigh, as if trying to make Gohan feel guilty about what he'd said earlier. "When he gets back I'm telling you, all this nonsense this girl is spewing into your head will be gone, you'll see!"

Gohan remained steadfast in his silence, and Goten could feel something was off, so he kept his mouth shut as well, focusing on his food. "_There she goes again_," He thought, irritably. "_She's still talking about Dad as if he's coming back, and it's been seven years! I know she misses him, I do too...but this really has to stop._" Gohan, while he held his tongue, really wanted his mother's delusions about her husband to cease. Ever since Goku had died, Chi-Chi had been unable to accept it, and kept clinging to some blonde hope that he would return, like he had after he killed Freeza.

But this was different this time. Goku sacrificed his own life to save them, and Chi-Chi was acting like he was simply taking an overly long vacation. And to make matters worse, it was confusing poor Goten, who, due to Chi-Chi's own claims, was under the impression Goku was coming back, and Gohan couldn't find the heart to tell his little brother otherwise.

"Oh Goku," Chi-Chi, unaware that neither of her sons were listening to her by this point, focusing entirely on eating instead. "If only you could set Gohan straight for me..."

Grinding his teeth in a manner that has absolutely nothing to do with chewing, Gohan quickly finishing his food, and placed his dishes in the sink. "Alright Mom, I'm going to go do my homework!" He said, loudly and pointedly. "Good night!" Exiting the kitchen before his mother could even say goodnight, the boy went to his room, dropping his book-bag by his bead.

"_Oh Dad...what would you think of Mom, if you saw her now?_" Gohan thought, sliding into a chair at his desk in front of the window. "_Knowing you, you wouldn't even notice she's still grieving over you, even if she's locked in denial..._" The boy kept his eyes locked out on the night sky, feeling the cool air blow into the room.

* * *

The moon had since risen high into the sky, and Gohan collapsed onto his futon, feeling slightly weary. He had taken Goten outside, as promised, and spent several hours playing games with his younger brother until the child had simply fallen asleep. Having carried him back and placed him to bed, and now found himself unable to sleep, his mind wandering back to his last few minutes at school.

"Erasa..." The murmur of her name escaped the hybrid's lips as he began to lose himself in his own thoughts. Her name...her face...her scent, all of it seemed so familiar, and yet he still couldn't place it. And yet he knew he'd met her somewhere before. "_Erasa...Erasa...that name..." _And then, as if waking from a haze, a memory surfaced in his head. The memory of two innocent children meeting by chance in a city that brimmed with history.

"_I'm Son Gohan._"

"_A family name? We definitely don't have those here. My name's Erasa._"

A multitude of emotions hit Gohan all at once; the foremost being embarrassment and a little bit of shame as well. How could he have forgotten Erasa? She'd be so kind to him when he met her, and they'd even had quite a lot of fun. Weren't those memories he should have held onto? "_I guess I really am like Dad in that regard_," Gohan thought to himself. But then a new emotion struck him. Two in fact.

Relief. Relief and excitement. He'd found someone in his own school that he could talk to, and seem interested in talking to him as well. Just this thought felt like a weight off his shoulders. "_She already seems to know my identity, and she did tell me that I'd find out everything she knows by the end of tomorrow._" Perhaps this whole 'school' thing might not be as difficult as it seemed. With these pleasant thoughts, Gohan drifted off to sleep.

* * *

...was was woken several hours later by the shrill ringing of his alarm.

"I'm awake, I'm awake!" The teenaged Saiyan cried at the top of his lungs, desperately fumbling with the alarm clock to avoid breaking it while shutting it off. "Whew boy...why did I ever put this thing in my room?" Reflecting briefly on how he disliked that clock, he quickly got up and began fumbling around his room, wondering why he felt so pleased with himself.

Then his memories from last night came flooding back in full force. Erasa, that smiling girl from seven years ago, who'd helped him out when he was by himself in Orange Star City. Much to his chagrin, he'd forgotten her over the course of the seven years that had passed since they met. She, however, had not forgotten him, and Gohan was eager to make his first new — old, technically — friend at his new school.

It only took him a few quick minutes to prepare for school, and it didn't take long for him to settle down at the breakfast table with Goten, taking his mother by surprise.

"Gohan, you're up early!" She glanced at the clock; normally, she'd be calling for him to wake up within the next half hour. "What's the matter, dear? Couldn't sleep?"

"Something along those lines," Gohan nodded quickly. His mother's rantings from the previous night were also fresh in his mind, and if he could avoid rousing her suspicion so early in the morning, he might be able to keep his good mood on the way back to school.

Gohan's thinking was correct, as Chi-Chi's eyes narrowed at Gohan's vague answer, but, as she could find no reason to argue, she didn't, instead turning her attention to setting the table. Gohan, in his eagerness to get to school, quickly scarfed down his breakfast, placing his bowl in the sink as he grabbed his bentō and his book-bag and dashed out the door.

"Mom, Goten, I'm heading out!" Gohan called back as he ran out into the crisp, morning air that surrounded the East District. "Kinto'un!"

The Somersault Cloud came flying full pelt in Gohan's direction, and he wasted no time in leaping onto the magical cloud. "Alright Kinto'un! Forward, let's go!" The cloud, eager to go anywhere, tore off directly towards Satan City, leaving Chi-Chi at the doorstep of her home, looking at her son's vanishing form.

"Goten, honey...please promise me you won't ever go on any dates when you get older," The woman looked down at her youngest son with imploring eyes.

"Alright, I promise!" Goten smiled innocent at his mother, completely oblivious to her over-protectiveness in this instance.

* * *

**Satan City, Orange Star High School, Roof**

"Alright, Kinto'un!" Gohan looked down off the side of the cloud, and was relieved to see no one was able to see him from this height. "Let me down right here this time!" The cloud headed straight for the rooftop, and Gohan jumped from its surface, landing neatly on the tiles. He turned back towards the sky, waving cheerfully. "Thanks, Kinto'un! I'll call you back for my ride home!"

Gohan descended the stairs from the roof, heading down to his locker, fetching his supplies for the first three classes before lunch. He closed the locker and proceeded to classroom 3B. As he entered, he was surprised to see several people were already in the classroom despite how early it was; namely, Erasa, and Videl, among a few other nameless students.

Gohan made his way to his seat, sitting down quietly. While he'd been in a euphoric high earlier this morning, now that he was sitting down, he didn't quite know what to say. After all, he'd forgotten her until just last night. "_How do I even go about explaining that?_" He thought to himself, absentmindedly doodling on his notebook.

"Mornin', Goldilocks," Erasa nudged Gohan in the ribs, whispering under her breath so Videl wouldn't hear. The action surprised Gohan, causing him to jump and completely shatter the mechanical pencil in his hand. "I shock you much?" She asked, stifling her laughter, not the least bit surprised that Gohan had shattered the pencil with the slightest bit of unconscious pressure.

"T-that's a fair statement," Gohan hissed back at her, frantically scooping the shards of plastic and fragments of lead into his palm, and stowing it away within the recesses of his bag; he'd clean it out later. "Erasa, I...I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to phrase this..."

"You apologize for forgetting me?" Erasa asked slyly, a roguish smile slipping across her face. "What can I say, we did only meet once, for a day. Expecting you to remember me based on just that encounter would be asking too much wouldn't it?"

Gohan was quickly taken aback by this. "No, that's not i-wait, how did you know what I was about to say?"

"You were fidgeting," Erasa said pointedly. True to this, Gohan had been nervous ever since he'd taken his seat; he didn't think he'd been that obvious about it. As he recalled, however, she seemed to have a knack for reading people — reading him at the very least. "Either way, your apology is accepted." She winked, making it quite clear to Gohan she wasn't his absentmindedness against him.

With the two caught up in their own conversation, they were blind to the sharp, watchful eyes of Videl, who was very disgruntled that Gohan had simply commandeered Erasa's time, and right in the middle of their own conversation no less. Sharpener pulled up to the chair next to her, and unlike Videl, took Gohan and Erasa's animated discussion in stride.

"When did they become so chummy?" The blonde boy asked Videl, snapping her out of her daze.

"I have no idea..." She bit her nail, her eyes never swiveling in Sharpener's direction. "_Erasa's never that into a discussion unless she really enjoys who she's talking to...and now that I think on it, haven't I seen this kid from somewhere before?_" Videl, ever diligent in investigation of things that did not concern her, continued down this train of thought until Mr. Fahcolty stepped into the room, clearing his throat in a way to get their attention. It was only at that moment that Gohan and Erasa noticed the rest of their class had filed in.

Mr. Fahcolty started by taking roll, and then allowing the kids to use homeroom for 'study hall', which gave many of them some much needed time to cobble together some answers for several unfinished homework assignments. The only students who didn't have any work to finish were Videl, Gohan, and Erasa; unsurprising to Mr. Fahcolty, who let out a sigh as he sat down at his desk and began grading papers. "They don't pay me enough for this job..." Gohan heard him mutter under his breath.

"So, I'm curious, what made you remember?" Erasa inquired, leaning towards Gohan to keep curious ears from listening in. "Just yesterday, you didn't remember me at all, and now, here you are, trying to apologize for forgetting."

"I've remembered everything, more or less," Gohan explained, pushing his supplies to the side. "When I had time to think about it, I kept focusing on you, and everything came flooding back to me; meeting you in Orange Star City, at Burger World, the festival."

"So you were focusing on _me_, were you?" A coy smile crossed Erasa's face.

"N-no, it wasn't anything like that!" Gohan retracted his statement quickly.

Erasa giggled, causing the stuttering hybrid to gape with perplexity at her, "You're so funny! I was only kidding, Gohan."

"Oh, sorry!" Gohan said back with a sheepish laugh, scratching the back of his head in reflex, something he also inherited from his father.

A firm clap was heard from the teacher, however, causing Gohan to gulp apprhensively and Erasa to straighten up instinctively, "I assume you're both done sharing the punchline of such a humorous joke? Yes? Good. Then if you can please join the rest of the class in the regrettable state of reality, then we can all end this class that much sooner..."

"I-I'm sorry!" Gohan called down, earning a sizable guffaw from the entire class, sans Videl and Erasa, the former staring intently at Gohan, bringing the phrase "if looks could kill" to mind. Working up his nerve, he asked her, "Can...I help you at all?"

"I've seen you before," Videl replied sharply, the sternness of her gaze causing Gohan to flinch slightly.

"Yes, you have," He replied slowly. "I saw you outside the bank just yesterday; it hasn't been that long."

"No, before." The ebony-haired girl corrected, waving away Gohan's obvious answer. "I overheard you talking to Erasa; _you _were the boy she met seven years ago when my dad had that festival. I never caught your name then, but I'm not so dumb as to think she met two different boys in one day."

"What are you getting at?" Gohan inquired, confused as to where this train of conversation was actually headed.

"Back then...you were blonde." The girl explained, and Erasa and Gohan's eyes widened immediately. Both of them knew_immediately _the conclusion her brain was rushing towards; they could practically hear the gears turning. "Care to give us an explanation to that, Gohan?"

Working fast, Gohan tried to come up with a plausible cover story to convince the girl. "Oh...uh you see...my mom-"

"-obviously dyed his hair to give him a different look!" The lie slipped through Erasa's lips so easily, immediately rushing to Gohan's aide. "He grew out of it and is now showing his natural sleek black hair. Isn't that right, Gohan?"

Catching on quickly, Gohan nodded his head feverishly in agreement. "Yeah, right! Mom always did take charge of my hairstyle!" He laughed weakly, and Videl remained thoroughly unconvinced. Before she could press her point further, however, the wristwatch under her glove let out a shrill beeping noise, and her attention was diverted.

Pressing a button on the watch, her voice quickly became professional. "This is Videl; what's the issue?"

"_A young girl was kidnapped by a masked individual along the side of Route 76 in Basket Town!_" The voice of a panicked police officer came through the receiver of the wristwatch. "_We're in pursuit but we could use backup!_"

"I'm on my way!" Videl confirmed, leaping out of her seat and dashing down the stairs. "Mr. Fahcolty, I have to go!"

"B-Be safe!" The man called out behind her, straightening his spectacles, the girl already vanishing from the room entirely.

"Hey, Erasa, what just happened?" Gohan blinked, thoroughly confused at the events that had just transpired.

"Oh, this is Videl's hobby," The girl explained lightly, without a care in the world. "Given that she is Mr. Satan's daughter, and she's not that bad a fighter, the police tend to call her in for backup whenever they need help. She must be doing a pretty good job, it's been about a year since this started."

"W-wait, they ask her!?" Gohan repeated, stunned. "_Aren't they even the slightest bit worried that they're calling a human girl into situations like this!?_"

"_Ho ho ho!_" The haughty laugh of Sharpener cut Gohan's thoughts off within seconds. "Don't underestimate Videl, Gohan. She's much stronger than I am, and at the rate she trains, she might even rival Mr. Satan."

"_Rival Mr. Satan...at getting in over her head, sure!" _Gohan thought incredulously. As the hybrid was about to stand up and follow Videl, he felt a thin hand grab his wrist, and looked over to see Erasa, who shook her head firmly.

"Let Videl handle this one, Gohan," She told him quietly, and she felt him relax. "I know what you're thinking; you want to go out and help. But if you're going to pull double duty as the town superhero, you're going to need to show a little restraint. She's handled worse criminals than this before; the report didn't even indicate they were armed. Lay low."

Begrudgingly, Gohan agreed, as he knew Erasa had a point. Everyone would get too suspicious if he left now, right after Videl had. Was balancing schoolwork and hero duty really going to be this...difficult?

* * *

The bell signalling the end of the school day resounded throughout the building. Picking up his supplies, Gohan headed towards his locker, taking the textbooks he'd need to complete the assignments he'd gotten for homework. Closing his locker, Gohan found himself face to face with a smiling Erasa. "E-Erasa, what're you...?"

"Your memory really is awful, Gohan," The girl scolded, lacing her tone with a false hurt that was easily betrayed by her persisting smile. "I told you yesterday, I would tell you everything I know about you after school, didn't I? I won't let you weasel out of it either; I already had to blow off an event Videl and I were going to for this, and to be frank, she's out for your blood."

"Oh, that's right, you did say that," Gohan replied unhelpfully. If he was to be honest, he was definitely curious about just how exposed his secret identity was; where had Erasa picked up her information? "Alright, follow me."

"Wait, do you even know the way to my house?" Erasa asked, quickly following behind Gohan as they ascended the stairs to the roof of the school.

"Don't worry about that, you can show me on the way there," He replied, and then turned his attention to the sky. "Watch this. I think you'll find it interesting. **Kinto'un!**" The Saiyan hybrid's voice echoed, until the familiar sound of his father's heirloom cloud greeted his ears. It sped down towards him, coming to a half just above the rooftop. "Erasa, this is Kinto'un."

"Gah!" Erasa jumped back, absolutely shocked, and then proceeded to duck behind Gohan, peeking out at the cloud with curious, yet cautious, eyes. "Did that yellow cloud just move!?"

"Yeah, it did," Gohan chuckled, trying to avoid any further laughter. "It's not so strange, Erasa. Think of Kinto'un like a jet flier, only a dozen times better. It was a gift from my father when I was much younger, so I've held onto it ever since."

"So that's what it is..." Erasa walked out from beside Gohan, and walking over to the cloud, kneeling down next to it. "When you give it a second look, it's actually really cute!" The girl then wrapped her arms around the cloud, hugging it, and to her surprise, it felt ridiculously fluffy and soft to the touch. "And this cloud can take us anywhere?"

"Anywhere, but only if you're pure of heart," Gohan replied, surprised, but very happy, with Erasa's reaction to the cloud. "Why don't you give it a try?" He gestured warmly to the cloud Erasa had locked in her grip. "Go ahead; get on."

"You really can ride this?" Erasa was second-guessing Gohan's suggestions, but she was able to touch the cloud. Perhaps riding it wasn't that much of a stretch? "If I fall through the cloud, catch me, alright?" She asked, obviously nervous about climbing aboard a cloud. With surprising agility, the girl hoisted herself onto Kinto'un, and landed neatly on the surface. "I...I'm on!" She exclaimed in shock, gripping the puffs of Kinto'un in her excitement. "Gohan! I'm on a cloud!" She was giddy, giggling with her elation. "Can I try it!? It can fly, right? Let me try it!"

"_Maybe she should have a test flight on it, just to get used to how it works,_" Gohan thought to himself, though he was unsure if it would be safe for her to ride too far or fast out of his watchful eyes. "Kinto'un, show Erasa how you fly, but be careful!"

"Kinto'un's your name, right?" Erasa cooed to the Somersault Cloud affectionately. "Go!" Clutching tightly to the cloud, it tore off from the rooftop at top speed, determined to impress its new rider. Gohan couldn't help but laugh at her excitement; with the cloud spiraling in the air and moving as fast as a normal human could endure, Erasa's cheers filled the evening sky.

After a few more minutes of the cloud pulling off loop-the-loops in the air, Gohan called the cloud back down to the roof. As Erasa slid off, she appeared to be tired and out of breath, as if she'd just run a mile. "Gohan that was...amazing! And you do this everyday?"

"Whenever I need to come to school, yeah," Gohan replied, smiling at her breathless excitement. "Now that you've got the hang of it, shouldn't we head back to your place?" Clambering onto the cloud, Gohan sat as close to the edge as he could to give Erasa some room. Upon joining him, she wrapped her arms around Gohan's waist, pulling him closer for support, causing the boy to flinch slightly in shock. "E-Erasa, what are you doing?"

"It'd be a shame if I fell off, wouldn't it?" She replied in a kittenish manner, obviously enjoying seeing Gohan's flustered face. "So let me hold onto you until we get home."

Despite his crimson face, Gohan actually couldn't argue Erasa's logic in this situation — or perhaps he just didn't want to — and prodded Kinto'un forward; the cloud took off at a rocket pace, carrying the two teenagers above the city skyline. The speed at which Kinto'un could fly made the city seem much smaller to Erasa than ever before, and within mere minutes, she pointed down at the ground and cried, "There it is Gohan! My house is that one, the one with no lights on!"

Erasa was pointing to a one-story house; because it had no lights on, this made it easy for Gohan to turn Kinto'un towards the ground and make a landing. "Thanks, Kinto'un! I'll call you back when I have to leave!" The cloud ascended into the sky and out of sight, shocking the few people who were still on the street at this hour.

"Well, come on in!" Erasa said cheerfully, unlocking the door to her home with a key, opening the door and stepping inside. She motioned for Gohan to follow her, and he did so, albeit nervously. Stepping in carefully, both teenagers kicked off their shoes as Erasa flipped the light switch on.

The house itself was rather quaint; it seemed fit for a very small family, and this was Gohan's first impression of it. He immediately recognized the scent of this house; it smelled of the same naturally sweet scent that Erasa possessed, but he could detect another human scent that lingered throughout the house; sweet and bitter at the same time, with the aroma of salt and pepper. "Do you only live with one other person?" He inquired before he could stop the question from pouring out of his mouth.

"Yeah, I do." Erasa replied with surprise as she placed her book-bag on the family room's glass table. "I live with my dad, and I have for awhile, ever since my mother passed away. Ever since I entered high school, he's been working more often, so I usually have the place to myself. How'd you know that?"

"Uh..." Gohan's first recourse was to try and spin a lie, but he saw Erasa's eyes narrow. She was obviously analyzing him, and he let out a defeated sigh. "My sense of smell," He explained, slumping if slightly. "It's better than a normal person's, and I'm able to detect scents and odors you wouldn't pick up."

"Given the flying cloud, and the multitude of other things I've seen you do, that's actually the least surprising thing so far," Erasa replied, and her tone showed she wasn't in the least bit shocked at this. "Now, I think you've waited long enough. Come on, I'll show you to my room."

"W-wait, what!?" Gohan protested, but the girl latched onto his arm, and pulled him through the house, towards the flight of stairs. Gohan noticed that, despite only living with her dad, the house, despite it's modest look, had more than enough of the average luxuries one could expect. The family room, as he passed by, had a large TV, comfy looking sofas, as well as what appeared to be the latest FONY gaming system.

In spite of Gohan's — rather weak — protests, Erasa led the young Saiyan up the stairs, where they were met with two closed doors facing opposite ends. Before she even opened the door, Gohan could automatically tell which room was Erasa's, as her unique aroma came from inside.

"Stop struggling and in we go!" Erasa crowed cheerfully as she wrenched open her door. Flipping on the light switch inside the room, Gohan was confronted with an onslaught of colours that assailed his eyes; bright baby blues with blinding yellow highlights, the entire room might as well been a light on its own power. Looking around, Gohan immediately concluded this room might have been fit for a younger child, and realized it hadn't changed much since Erasa had been younger. There were patterns of clouds on the ceiling and waves on the walls; Gohan could tell they'd been added through the delicate stroke of a paintbrush years ago. Several shelves were filled with what seemed to be toys from childhood, and there was even a chest that contained very childish things. Just looking at this room showed Erasa was the kind of person who held tightly to the past. Looking around, the only additions in the room that seemed new, to Gohan's eyes, was the desktop computer Erasa owned, made by the Largehard company, and the fluffy bed she owned, which obviously had to be replaced to accommodate her growing up.

"Um..." Gohan began, raising a finger towards the ceiling.

"You're curious about the patterns?" Erasa asked, plopping herself down on her bed. "I used to have a vested interest in art when I was younger. Dad figured the creativity and expression was good for me, especially after mom died. After while, I'd covered nearly my entire room with clouds and waves. I guess it's because I've always liked the beach, so those patterns just flowed naturally."

"I see..." Gohan replied quietly. True to the point, she had mentioned her mother was dead, but he hadn't had much time to take that in as she had dragged him up here. "I'm sorry to hear that. While I know it's not much consolation, my dad died as well, seven years ago. So, I know how you feel."

Erasa let out a startled gasp, quickly covering her mouth with her hand to stifle it. His father was dead? Her memory flashed back to the man with upright blonde hair who had come to pick up Gohan seven years ago, and then remembered it was the same man who had primarily fought Cell in the Cell Games. With that, exactly how he'd died clicked in her head, and there was an awkward silence between the two for a few moments, before she said, "I guess that's something we both have in common..."

"Yeah..." Gohan replied quietly. Trying to find a way to escape the awkward silence, his eyes wandered, halting immediately upon seeing a familiar stuffed animal sitting upright on Erasa's bed. Walking over to it, he picked it up, and much to his surprise, found that he recognized it. "E-Erasa, is this the bear I won at the festival?"

"Hm?" Gohan's question snapped Erasa out of the funk she was in, and she immediately smiled at the sight of the bear. "That's the very same! I kept him ever since you won him for me as a prize, and he's been well taken care of! He even has a name; Ippan!"

"I...ppan?" The hybrid's face flushed pink at the name. "That's quite an interesting name you've chosen." Placing the bear down, Gohan noticed that it was in absolutely perfect condition. "_She really must have treasured it,_" He thought to himself as he finally sat down next to her. "So...is this where you start explaining?"

Nodding, Erasa stood up, walking over to the cabinet under her television. Reaching in, she pulled out several video cassette tapes, wrapped in plastic. "Most of what you need to know is right here on these," She said, holding up the tapes for Gohan to see.

"On those tapes?" Gohan looked at them curiously. "What's on them?"

"These are videos of the Cell Games," She replied, brandishing the videos in Gohan's direction as she removed the plastic.

"_Videos..of the Cell Games!?_" Gohan thought incredulously, eyeing the cassettes with apprehension. "_I thought the footage had been destroyed...and people have these? And even worse, watch them like home movies!?"  
_  
"You'd be surprised how quickly these recordings actually sold when the entire event ended. And on these tapes...is you." She took out one of the cassettes, and placed it into the VCR that sat in front of her television, turning the device on and allowing the video to play.

The scene that greeted Gohan's eyes was only too familiar to the teenage hybrid; a pure white tournament ring, set up in the middle of a nearly barren wasteland. To be frank, it was a setting more fit for a graveyard, and Gohan had to assume that was why Cell had chosen it for the site of his Cell Games. "_This really is it..._" He thought to himself, his eyes now locked on the screen. He had to admit the quality of the video could be better, but the cameraman was probably far too terrified to keep a steady hand the entire time. The camera panned over to a group of individuals, the strangest assortment of people that humanity ever thought they would see come to save the Earth.

The Z-Fighters.

Naturally, Gohan recognized each and every person present; Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, Vegeta, Trunks from the future, as well as himself, who was a Super Saiyan at the time. But what hit home with Gohan the most was the sight of the one competitor who hadn't made it out alive; his father.

"Dad..." Gohan breathed, and Erasa flashed him a look of concern.

Stepping into the ring, wearing his trademark orange gi from the Turtle School of Martial Arts, was Son Goku.

"_As I'm sure you know by now...I've been waiting for this..._" The voice of Cell, the menace who terrorized the planet seven years ago, caught Gohan's ears; the audio, while faulty, was easily perceived by his Saiyan hearing. However, the words were crystal as he remembered hearing Cell speak as if it were just yesterday.

"The little blonde boy in the sidelines, that's you, isn't it?" Erasa gestured to the younger Gohan's face, as the camera panned over him and his comrades once more. The boy in the screen was watching his father intently, and Gohan could see two perspectives from this; the screen was looking at, where he saw his own younger face, and the ring, in which his father had taken a fighting stance against Cell. He still remembered that feeling of faith he had in his father's skills to combat Cell. How wrong he had been.

"Yeah...that kid is me..." Gohan replied quietly, his eyes on the screen. He didn't need to see a video to remember the Cell Games; those memories would never leave him.

Erasa removed the current cassette, much to Gohan's relief; seeing his father's face, hearing his voice, especially in the setting of the Cell Games, was too much. The click of another cassette tape caught Gohan's attention, and the battle cry of Cell greeted his ears, taking him back to when he'd stepped into the fray at the behest of his father.

"_Around the time Dad tossed Cell a Senzu Bean,_" Gohan inwardly sighed at his father's better nature. "_I sometimes wonder what he would have done if that gesture of good will had backfired on all of us."_

"_Wonderful...now let's get started..._" Cell's voice rang loud and clear in Gohan's ears, enhancing the choppy quality of the audio that Erasa herself could barely make out. "_So, child? Are you ready?_" Gohan could see his younger counterpart bracing himself, letting out a mighty cry unto the heavens as he began to raise his own battle power in preparation for the fight against Cell.

"You were a competitor in the Cell Games," Erasa continued with her mention of the obvious. "I'd seen the footage, when it was broadcast around the globe, and I immediately recognized you. It's hard to forget someone like you after only a week, Gohan."

"So, these videos are how you knew?" Gohan pried, trying to focus on Erasa, to bring himself back to the present, back to this room; away from the Cell Games and the horrors that had occurred there. It became obvious to Erasa that the footage was causing Gohan discomfort, and she quickly pressed a button on her remote, ejecting the cassette.

Thinking it best to finish her explanation, Erasa continued, breaking the resumed silence that permeated the colourful room. "The cassettes weren't the only thing. I drew my final conclusion about your identity as the Gold Fighter when I remembered what you did when we first met; you saved me, Gohan. From the oncoming truck?"

Gohan remembered this very clearly. His body, in a desire to keep Erasa from getting crushed, reacted in an instant. Snatching her from the side of the road, he had moved her to the other sidewalk before any onlookers could witness his instantaneous entire body had reacted on one single desire: protect Erasa.

"I've also seen you fly," Erasa added brightly, and this surprised Gohan, causing him to give her a wide-eyed stare.

"You've even seen me fly?" He responded in shock. "When was this?"

"When your dad came to pick you up," The blonde girl explained, and the moment surfaced in Gohan's memory. "Both of you were flying; that can't have been any kind of trick. What really cemented it, though, was your little...performance...in P.E. You aren't really that good at holding back your superhuman abilities, and it didn't take long to realize that you had to be the Gold Fighter. Everything _fit_."

"Urk!" Gohan flinched at this; the amount of insight Erasa had on him by this point was staggering. Despite this, Gohan also felt, if he dared say it, relieved. "I'm surprised...you've definitely analyzed this through-and-through. To be truthful, I've been apprehensive about anyone knowing what I can do. My mother, and a friend of my father's both warned me I could be treated differently if people found out what I could do, when all I want to do is blend in. Even if I can't be normal, I want to try my hand at a normal life."

"Gohan..." Erasa murmured quietly, her sapphire eyes locking their gaze on the Saiyan boy who was laying his heart out for the girl to see.

"Then I met you," Gohan carried on, his onyx eyes meeting Erasa's sapphire orbs. "Someone who figured out the truth about me, and you're still treating me like I'm average; like a friend, even. I'm grateful, Erasa. To have someone I can talk to...I didn't expect something like this to happen when I arrived in this city."

Erasa smiled, a soft, kind smile that could make the heart melt. "You can relax around me, Gohan. Unwind. I'll be here for you if you need anything. I'll even help you pull double duty as the Golden Warrior; playing hero seems to be something you can't stop doing." She waggled a finger at him, winking playfully. "I'll help you blend in, alright?"

"Thanks, Erasa," Gohan answered, entirely convinced that what Erasa said was true.

"Erasa! I'm back!" A disembodied male voice came from downstairs, causing both teenagers to jump in shock.

"My dad's home!" Erasa hissed under her breath, a look of panic on her face. "If he sees you up here, Gohan, he will flip! We've got to get you out!"

"Crap!" The hybrid jumped up, and his first reaction was to make a break for the window, just as they heard footsteps coming towards the stairs. "Erasa, I'll see you tomorrow in school, alright?"

"Alright, tomorrow, now go before he opens the door!" She insisted, waving him off in earnest. "We'll take more about this tomorrow!"

"R-right!" Gohan deftly leaped out of the window, propelling himself high into the air, just in time to hear Erasa's door click open. He'd just barely made it. "So, Erasa really does know everything about me...and she's doesn't treat me any different at all." Gohan's face broke out into a wide smile as he realized for the first time, he finally had a human friend. The familiar shape of Kinto'un descended next to him, flying at top speed alongside its owner.

"Come on, Kinto'un!" Gohan crowed into the night sky. "I'll race you on home!"

But as Gohan raced home, his thoughts full of bliss at his accomplishment, he didn't consider the threat waiting for him at home.

An angry Chi-Chi.

* * *

**Author's Note: **_Chapter 3 is finally done and whoo-boy was this a doozey to write. Like the first chapter, this chapter was pretty much all me; no source material to speak of with the exception of Videl's exit to go fight crime, but I changed that up a bit to make sure Gohan needn't interfere with her hobby __— __this time. I have to thank my friend Demod20 twice over this time; he helped me sit down and brainstorm some ideas for this, in addition to being my beta reader who read the finished chapter prior to my putting it out, to make sure it was ship-shape. Thanks man, you are a HUGE help here._

Three things of note this time, before I sign out; to anyone who doesn't know, the word "ippan" (

_一般__) means "bowl of rice" or "meal", which is nearly the exact same meaning as the word "gohan" (__ご飯__), which means "cooked rice" or "meal". She named the bear Gohan won after Gohan, in a unique little way. And, to anyone who sees that Erasa is also missing a parent...that actually was unintentional; I didn't plan on them sharing that until I wrote it out, and decided it would be a way they could bond! I'd also like to see how many people get the "Largehard" and "Fony" names, without me having to explain them; and no, the former is not innuendo. Anyway, that's all for this installment, everyone! Stay tuned for the next chapter!_


	4. Moving Forward

"_Why did I have to be stuck with such an overbearing mother?_" This thought ran through Gohan's head as he rode to school the next day on Kinto'un. It wasn't that he disliked his mother — far from it — she simply had a habit of overreacting. Granted, it had been his fault that he had come home late last night, but Chi-Chi didn't seem to quite understand something important.

Gohan could take care of himself. Better than any human teenager, for that matter.

"_She's so bent on having a normal life that she forgets it's impossible for any of us,"_ Gohan thought to himself in frustration. It had become impossible the moment she chose Goku for a husband, no matter how much she tried to emulate the rustic life in terms of their remote location. He let out a sigh as his mind wandered to his mother's verbal smack-down of him last night.

* * *

**East District 439, Base of Mount Paozu, Son Residence; The Previous Night  
**  
"Where were you!?" Gohan flinched under the shrill, commanding voice of his mother as she towered over him on a comical fit of rage. "I ask one thing of you Gohan, just _one thing!_ Be home at eight 'o clock sharp! That's when I have dinner on the table, isn't it!?"

She was raving mad, and Gohan took her shrieking in silence. He didn't have any real excuse, it had been his fault that he was late, so he didn't open his mouth to reply.

"I don't know _where_ we went wrong with you, Gohan!" The ebony-haired woman threw a dish absentmindedly into the sink, glaring at her eldest son. "Maybe high school is too much for you! I knew I should have kept homeschooling you, _I knew I should have!_" She sighed theatrically, before rounding on her son again. "It's that minx you met on your first day, isn't it!? She's distracting you from your studies! Gohan, do I need to go up to your school tomorrow and tell her off? All this...fraternizing can't be good for you!"

Gohan's eyes narrowed at Chi-Chi's bold statement, and he felt himself reflexively clench his fists tightly in annoyance. "No Mom, you don't need to do that." He said through clenched teeth, struggling to keep his voice steady. "If you would please calm down, and think about it for a moment. There wouldn't be any point in me going to a public school if I wasn't going to make a friend or two. Just because that friend happens to be a girl isn't grounds for you to panic."

"Son, what I want you to understand is, an up-and-coming scholar doesn't have time to associate with girls," Chi-Chi replied fiercely. "I don't want anything standing in the way of your success!"

"Mom, I'm trying get you to listen—!" Gohan's futile reply was cut off by his mother's angry retort.

"No, you listen to me! You lost the right to reason with me when you broke the one rule I laid down," Chi-Chi responded in a heaving tone. Her shoulders rising up and down with her chest, further emphasizing just how infuriated she was. "you break my trust, of course I'm going to be angry!"

"I'm sorry, mom, really!" Gohan pleaded further, keeping his fists balled near his sides to contain his rapidly rising anger.

Sighing heavily, Chi-Chi turned her back to her eldest child. Massaging both of her temples, she sighed with resignation, "Well...I guess your father wouldn't mind you making friends. Though I'm sure he wouldn't approve of you missing more than one curfew."

Turning on her heels, Chi-Chi poked Gohan's chest as she glared up with dark promise behind her onyx orbs, "I'm letting you off with a warning, Gohan. Miss curfew again, and there will be consequences. Understand?!"

Gohan nodded, sighing with relief but failed to muster up the strength to smile.

* * *

Much to his relief, he saw the now familiar sight of Satan City coming into view, and couldn't help but appreciate the fact that he was happy just to be back here. As Kinto'un approached the edge of the city, something that brought if possible, further relief and happiness to Gohan caught his eye; Erasa, who was standing at a lamppost near the edge of the city, waiting on Gohan to arrive.

"Hey Gohan!" Erasa called down from the ground, waving up at the dashing cloud. As if on command, Gohan steered Kinto'un towards the ground, landing neatly next to Erasa.

"Need a ride?" The teenage Saiyan asked cheerfully, a feeling of elation rushing into simply at the sight of Erasa. To him, the sight of a familiar, friendly face made his mother seem as far as mentally as she was physically, and that was just what he needed.

"I dunno, I was always told to avoid getting into cars with strange people," Erasa replied playfully.

"Kinto'un isn't a car, and I'm not people," Gohan shot back, and Erasa laughed, climbing aboard the flying cloud, gripping onto Gohan's waist as they ascended into the air again.

"So, how'd last night go?" Gohan asked immediately, not having forgotten how he was unceremoniously forced out of Erasa's home last night when her father had returned home.

"It went easily enough," Erasa replied casually. "Dad was suspicious at first; the expression on my face was a dead giveaway, it seemed. But I managed to convince him it was just my re-watching of the Cell Games that had me so spooked. What about you? You make it home alright?"

The gears grinding in Gohan's brain, he decided that telling Erasa the truth about how his mother had reacted when he'd made it back home; doing so would simply spoil her good mood. "It, uh, went fine," Gohan was wishing he could lie as smoothly as Erasa could, and he could already see her sapphire orbs narrowing in response to his statement. Working fast, Gohan spun a very weak lie, "I made it home, did my schoolwork, and went to sleep; it went pretty easy!"

"Gohan..." Erasa said sternly, leaning over his shoulder. "You have really got to work on that poker face if you want to tell an kind of lie around me."

"O-okay, okay, you got me," Gohan replied quickly, and started rummaging through his book-bag quickly, an act that garnered Erasa's curious gaze. Rustling through textbooks, pencil cases, and several papers, Gohan pulled out a thin sheet of paper obviously taken from a sketchbook. "I got sidetracked last night, and I worked on a concept for a 'superhero persona' before I went to bed." In actuality, he'd worked on the concept to distract himself from his mother, but he needn't tell Erasa that.

Erasa took the paper from Gohan, and gave it a looking over. "_He's...good at drawing but what is this?_"She was right to question such a strange design. To her, it simply looked ridiculous, like something one would see on a children's television show. The outfit in the concept consisted of a tunic, black tights, white gloves and boots similar to those worn by two competitors in the Cell Games, a cape, and an helmet with a visor. Sketched off to the sides were an alternate version of headgear featuring a bandana and sunshades.

"So, what do you think?" Gohan asked eagerly, almost childish in a way, as he waited to see what Erasa's reaction would be. His joy, however, was quickly cut short, as the sound of shredding reached his ears. Erasa, with a comically deadpan expression, ripped the concept paper into halves, then quarters, and finally eights, each time more aggressively, before throwing the pieces of paper off the side of Kinto'un.

"M-my concept art!" Gohan futilely tried to grab the pieces while remaining perched on Kinto'un. His precious superhero concept art had been ripped into pieces.

"Don't feel bad, Gohan," Erasa said playfully, mussing up Gohan's hair in her attempt to console him. "You look so much better as the Golden Warrior."

Gohan's distress vanished almost instantly as Erasa's words caused him to flush like a beet. "_In that case, I don't think I should show her concepts two through forty-five_." He thought to himself as Kinto'un landed neatly on the top of their school building.

"Thanks for the ride, Kinto'un!" Erasa waved to the cloud cheerfully as it took off. It appeared she was already getting along very well with the Somersault Cloud. "You know, Gohan, while the overall design was horrific, you're actually a really good artist!"

"Is that so?" Gohan laughed weakly, unsure how to respond to such a backhanded compliment.

"Even though I can't say I liked the design, I really did like the detail you put into the sketch," She said gently as Gohan opened his locker to swap the textbooks he had with the ones he would need. "You also seem to have a fairly decent understanding, given the detail you placed into the body as well."

As much as Gohan liked to receive praise from Erasa, his humble nature caused him to shrug it off without actually basking in the moment. "Its just one of many hobbies. Sometimes I play piano, clarinet, or even write—"

Eyes wide as saucers, Erasa cut Gohan off mid sentence, "Whoa, slow down mister industrious! You're a musician as well as a writer too?!"

"Yeah. Mom was real eager in getting me to become a jack of all trades since I could walk," Gohan explained, none too happy when he realized one of his first memories involved sheet music. "You could say that's how I got to take anything new that's academic in stride."

Erasa laughed brightly, a laugh that sounded more akin to wind chimes to Gohan than a sound that could truly come from the human throat. "Gohan, you truly are one-of-a-kind."

Stopping in front of Erasa's locker briefly, the two made their way to the classroom, which was empty for the most part, with the exception of a few students who arrived early. Among them being Sharpener, and Videl, the latter who wore an expression notably similar to the one Gohan saw on Chi-Chi's face when he'd returned home late.

As the two took their chosen seats, Videl craned her head at them, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Did you two walk to school together or something?" She asked, her tone skeptical.

"Well, I gave Erasa a lift," Gohan replied innocently, not knowing he was simply fueling Videl's fire.

"Erasa, calm down, it's nothing to get worked up about," Erasa said soothingly, trying to assuage whatever worries were working their way into the heroine's mind. "You and I walk to school all the time as well, don't we? So what's the harm in Gohan and I coming to school together?"

"I-It's completely different!" Videl spluttered incredulously, unable to comprehend how either of these two could possibly be so naïve.

"Let them breathe, Videl," Sharpener intervened, much to everyone's surprise, cutting off the girl in the middle of her lecture. "Besides, it's not like I've never given either of you a ride to and from school before. Ease up, will ya?"

Gohan was caught off guard by Sharpener's intervention; hadn't this been the student who was more than verbally aggressive only a few days prior?

"So, Gohan, you consider my offer to join the boxing club?" The long-haired blonde asked pointedly.

"_And that explains it,_" Gohan thought as he gave Sharpener a very quick, deadpan refusal, causing a bitter look to cross Sharpener's face.

"Videl is starting to remind me an awful lot of my own mother," Gohan whispered to Erasa under his breath, timing his comment with Videl turning her attention away from them in a huff. "She seems to be almost obsessive about preventing us from spending any kind of time together."

"I've started to clue in on that," Erasa replied in a hushed voice. "So I was thinking...why not spend the weekend together with me?" She winked at Gohan, pressing a red pencil to his chest in a playful motion. "You and I can have the entire weekend to relax without your mother or Videl hounding behind us."

"That sounds great!" Gohan replied, elated at the prospect of actually having some time alone with Erasa. "I recommend showing up around noon this Saturday. Is that alright?"

"I'll be there!" Erasa's elation showed through her voice. With the time set, the two would finally get their alone time, out of the prying eyes of Chi-Chi or Videl.

* * *

**East District 439, Mount Paozu, Bamboo Forest, Saturday**

"You can't catch me, Gohan!" The euphoric cry of the young Goten echoed throughout the area as he dashed along the mountainside, weaving in and around bamboo stalks to avoid his pursuing older brother.

"Just you wait, Goten! I'm not so out of it that I can't tag you!" Gohan, laughing at his brother's infectious excitement, dashed after him.

Goten, thinking quickly, latched onto the nearest stalk of bamboo, applying his Saiyan strength to cause the giant trunk to bend forward. "And CHARGE!" He cried, releasing his pressure on it; the stalk shot back in the direction Goten had bent it from, launching the boy towards his brother in a surprise maneuver.

"Whoa there!" Gohan reacted on reflex, quickly leaning to the left and dodging Goten's startling aggressive strike — a reflexive action drilled into him through harsh training with Piccolo.

"You fell for it!" Goten replied, laughing madly as he landed on all fours. Now crouching down much like a monkey, he made a mad scramble in the other direction, desperate to lose his older brother in the forest.

"You're not getting away that easily!" The older brother made a mad dash after Goten, each of them ducking around the stalks to avoid damaging the forest.

The otherwise strange occurrence taking place was referred to by Goten as "Super Tag", a game that is essentially the same as regular tag, but Gohan and Goten use the entirety of their mountain home as their playground, and thus, the game is played on a much grander scale. "Super Tag" was the Son siblings favorite game to play, albeit for different reasons. Goten enjoyed it simply due to his childish nature. Gohan, on the other hand, enjoyed it because the energy exerted in the game easily tired Goten out, thus giving him more time to do what he needed to do during the day — and on a day like today, he needed to garner as much time as he could.

The two proceeded like this for a few more hours, Gohan working hard to ensure Goten exerted himself as much as possible. This was entirely part of Gohan's plan —the longer they played, the more exhausted Goten would becoming, giving Gohan a clear field to spend the remainder of the day with Erasa. When it was high noon, Goten collapsed on his rear next to a large bamboo stalk.

"Whoo boy!" Goten crowed as he wiped a thin sheen of sweat from his forehead. "You're really fast, Gohan! I didn't think anyone was faster than me or Trunks!"

"No, you surprised me, kiddo!" Gohan skidded to a stop alongside a flowing river, kneeling by the side to wash his face, wiping the sweat away. "I'm surprised how quick and resourceful you are! You might actually make a good training partner if I ever need to get the gears running again!"

"Really!? You mean it!?" Goten's eyes glittered with excitement. "You'll really let me train with you!? Promise!?"

"Of course I mean it!" The older sibling replied, flattered that his brother was so excited at the prospect of training — he really was just like their father. "When I need a really strong training partner, you're the man!"

"I get to train with Gohan, I get to train with Gohan!" The younger sibling cheered in excitement, nearly jumping the height of the bamboo tree with his newly restored energy.

"C-calm down, Goten!" Gohan urged in a panic; had his plan backfired with just a few words of encouragement? "We can't start training right this instant!" These words shot Goten down like a rock and he dropped back to his seat along the riverbed. "So...since our game of tag is done, and you did say you were tired, do you want us to head on home?"

"_Super _Tag!" Goten insisted childishly, puffing his cheeks out. "It's not cool if you don't call it 'Super', Gohan!"

"Alright, I've got it!" Gohan laughed weakly, raising his arms up defensively.

"I'll wait here for Trunks!" Goten decided, kicking his legs energetically. "He said he'd come over to play today, and if I wait here, he can just find me by feeling for my energy!"

"You're alright with me just leaving you here?" Gohan inquired, hardly able to believe his luck. Goten already had plans, he didn't need to return home and make some quick excuse to his mother as to where he was heading; could he really be this lucky? "Alright, Goten, then I'll see you at dinner!" Gohan immediately took off flying, waving down at his younger brother. "Don't get lost on the way home!"

"I won't!" Goten called upwards, waving frantically as his brother flew off.

"I suppose I should make myself visible, if I assume Erasa is arriving by jet flier." Gohan thought aloud, and he took off straight towards his house, an aura of white ki surrounding him as he flew at top speed. Arriving at his home in record time, Gohan landed quietly on the rooftop of his spherical house, determined not to tip off his mother, and simply waited. Sitting idly for around a half hour, he heard the purr of a vehicle's engine; Gohan used his Saiyan eyes to gain a clear picture of what was in the distance. To his great pleasure, he saw Erasa piloting a hovercraft.

"_I should get her to land that away from the house!_" Gohan thought frantically, lifting himself into the air, flying towards Erasa's hovercraft. The last thing either of them needed was Chi-Chi seeing Erasa land that craft in front of their house; Gohan could just imagine the reaction, and that would ruin his and Erasa's day. Pulling quickly up towards the window of the hovercraft, Gohan tapped as gently as he could to get Erasa's attention.

The blonde girl jumped in shock; she hadn't seen Gohan arrive next to her, and she slammed the brakes to come to a complete stop, the vehicle living true to it's name and simply hovering. "Gohan!" She gasped, breathing heavily. "Please don't do that again, I nearly swerved this thing in shock!"

"S-sorry!" Gohan apologized quickly. "Erasa, I'm going to need you to park that thing out of sight; if Mom sees you pulling up by our house, she will flip out!"

aking Gohan's word for it that Chi-Chi's reaction would be comically over the top(, Erasa agreed to follow Gohan's plan of discretion. Following his silver-hued lit trail of light, she eventually was led) towards a secluded meadow open enough for her to land. Soon after Gohan tapped down on the ground, the hovercraft thrummed down to the grassy field, gently clanking to a perfect landing. With the brief clicking of gears, the bubble shaped shield pulled back, allowing Erasa to make a agile jump down to the soft soil in front of her aircraft

When she stood on her feet, Gohan couldn't help but have his eyes drawn to distinct changes to her appearance.

Trading her various style of halter tops she adorned for her schooling days, Erasa now affixed a lime-hued tank top with a black undershirt pooling underneath the emerald colored, sleeveless fabric. A pair of white shorts replaced her normal pair of jeans and knee length bright cargo pants. In doing this, it granted an alluring view of her creamy complexioned legs, leading down to a pair of green laced white tennis shoes. The casual nature of her attire complimented her bright smile and curious sapphire eyes blinking at his staring onyx orbs.

"Gohan?" Erasa inquired aloud, a perplexed smile stretching across her face.

Gohan shook his head, scratching his head with a habitual reflex. As he laughed sheepishly, he couldn't help but wave his free arm in her direction to help emphasize his awe, "I just...you look so fantastic! I almost didn't recognize you out of your school clothes!"

Erasa giggled, raising her hand up to cup her mouth to stifle her laughter. Even as the half-breed looked on with confusion, she did her best to hide a blush of her own at the compliment, even if it was clumsily given. Lowering her hand back to rest over her chest, she batted her eyes playfully at her friend, "Oh Gohan, such a man with great words. One of these days you'll need to write a book to share such great words with the rest of the world!"

"Haha, maybe someday!" Gohan laughed with playful agreement.

"Then there's you," Erasa said impishly, walking over to Gohan and tugging on his shirt in a playful motion. Like Erasa, Gohan had abandoned the common clothing he'd done for school days, but his attire was far more uninhibited than hers. The hybrid had chosen very simple clothing for this occasion: A sleeveless white shirt that detailed Gohan's chiseled Saiyan physique, grey-hued sweatpants, and a pair of black laced white athletic shoes.

"You really are in good shape," Erasa observed, blushing slightly. She'd only seen Gohan in his fairly conservative school ensemble before, and inwardly wondered how his clothes could hide so much muscle. "_I wonder how the people of the city would react to see just how much the real hero puts the idol to shame._" She thought in amusement.

"You really think so?" Gohan replied sheepishly. Admittedly, he had been slacking off in his training ever since his dad had passed on, and thus, by the standards of his father and Vegeta, he was actually 'out of shape', but something about Erasa's silver words gave him a sense of pride.

* * *

**West City, Capsule Corporation, Gravity Chamber**

Meanwhile, in West City, the Saiyan Prince named Vegeta was working hard at training, using the Gravity Chamber based on the same mechanism used by Goku during his 5-day flight to Namek. Suddenly, he seized up, and felt his eyes force themselves shut, his nose scrunching up, and his lips part as he jerked forward, letting loose a violent sneeze. Blinking rapidly, the Saiyan Prince wiped his nose, muttering to himself, "Someone must be talking about me."

* * *

"So, what are we going to do today?" Erasa asked Gohan curiously as the two teenagers left the clearing, and her hovercraft, behind. "It's quite obvious we can't hang out at your house — not just yet anyway — but did you plan anything?"

"Actually, I did have something in mind," Gohan assured her, a smile crossing his face. "Erasa, you've never really been outside Satan City, have you?"

"To be honest, not really," Erasa confessed. "Satan City IS a big city, so it's not like there's any need to actually leave it. In fact, this might be the farthest I've traveled on my own."

"Perfect!" Gohan exclaimed, before calling out into the sky a name that was familiar to Erasa by this point. "Kinto'un!" The familiar whizzing of the Somersault Cloud caught the ears of Gohan first, and then Erasa, whose eyes lit up at the sight of the magical artifact.

"I've decided I'd take you across the continent," The hybrid couldn't help but laugh at the girl's infectious excitement. "The next stop is everywhere, so are you ready to go?"

"This is what you've had in mind?" Erasa bubbled, eyes glinting as she looked at Kinto'un. Her mind already picturing herself and Gohan flying the cloud across the countryside.

"Huh?" Gohan queried, misinterpreting Erasa's question entirely. "You don't want to?"

"Of course I do!" Erasa countered quickly, almost sternly. "I didn't think this was what you had in mind at all, Gohan!"

It was becoming quite clear to Gohan that he'd made the correct choice; taking Erasa out of the city, especially given how little she'd seen, might be just what she needed. And she seemed absolutely elated at the prospect. Without hesitation, the duo clambered aboard the heirloom cloud, and at Gohan's command, the cloud immediately ascended into the air, giving the two a bird's eye view of the forest.

"Kinto'un, go!" Gohan ordered, and the Somersault Cloud tore through the sky. As if on reflex, Erasa quickly wrapped her arms around Gohan's waist, to avoid falling off due to the speed as which Kinto'un was moving. Tearing straight over the forest with as much speed as was safe for Erasa's frail human body, within a few minutes, they'd approached a familiar skyline.

"Gohan, is this...Satan City?" Erasa blinked in confusion. Didn't Gohan say she was going to show her something new, besides the city she'd lived in for her entire life?

"You've never quite paid attention to the view you have when we take Kinto'un, have you?" Gohan asked her as the cloud quickly broke over the forest and into the city, soaring high overhead.

"Yeah, I can see something pretty amazing from this point of view," Erasa commented aloud, lightly chuckling with her eyes examining his muscular frame she clung to from behind. While she didn't want to admit it, being pressed against Gohan in the manner she was proved to be very distracting, and it kept her from truly appreciating any view she could see by travelling on Kinto'un.

"Wait a second, what?" Gohan innocently asked in confusion. Something in the tone of Erasa's reply tipped him off that she was being sarcastic, but he didn't fully understand the implications.

"Don't worry about it," Erasa replied, waving it off as she enjoyed his naïveté. She'd never met anyone quite like Gohan before. "But, in all seriousness, no, I actually haven't paid any real attention to the view. What does that have to do with flying over the city?"

"Why don't you look down this time?" Gohan beckoned Erasa to look down towards the city as Kinto'un slowed to a snail's pace so that Erasa could get a proper view of everything.

"It's...amazing!" Erasa gasped, her eyes alight with curiosity and excitement. Looking at the city from Gohan's point of view was awe-inspiring for someone who'd lived on the ground for so long. Buildings, which before had been taller than her, with some skyscrapers towering over the girl, now jutted upwards at her, like man-made trees. The roads were full of cars, and yet she could hear naught but the rushing wind; from where she flew, the normal bustling noises of traffic were gone. But what shocked her most was the colour; an assortment of silvers, reds, blues, and yellows, all on display for her to see.

"The world seems so...small!" The blonde struggled to find the right words for what she was feeling. "I know this is Satan City...but from this far up, it's like I'm looking at a whole different world!"

"That's it!" Gohan agreed, taken in by Erasa's utter captivation of the sight below her. "It's all a matter of how you see the world. If you change your perspective, like we're doing now, then your entire reality will change with it."

"This is entirely different from the looking upward from the surface, or even looking out through the window of my jet flier!" As her excitement with her new found perspective grew, her eyes continued to sparkle like jewels. "I feel bad, in fact, for everyone down on the ground right now." She felt something like pity because everyone down on the surface wouldn't be able to experience this kind of elation. "Gohan, can we go someplace else too?!"

She was almost like a child in how easily she was impressed, though perhaps Gohan only saw it this way because he'd been flying since he was five. "Of course! Hold on tight, I've got just the place!"

Erasa didn't need to be told twice to 'hold on', as Kinto'un made a sharp turn for the east. The two quickly said farewell to Satan City as it faded into the horizon behind them. While Gohan could completely see everything, his Saiyan eyes not missing a detail, Erasa could only see a green and brown blur.

"Gohan!" Erasa protested above the roar of the wind. "What's the point to this if I can't see anything!?"

"You're not supposed to," Gohan replied casually, able to hear Erasa's silvery voice with ease despite the wind; in fact, it might have been better if she hadn't tried to talk above the currents. "What I'm going to show you is right here!" Kinto'un slowed down to a reasonable pace, and the blur of colour in Erasa's eyes exploded into shape and form as she took a sharp intake of breath at the sight.

What filled her vision now was something she'd only seen in textbooks or on the news; the Broaf mountain range. "It's...beautiful!" From the height she and Gohan were flying, Erasa could see everything; the sharp jagged mountains jutting out of the Earth, various shades of brown and green clashing as dirt, stone, and foliage all met on the face of the mountains. However, she could see this mountain range was part of something more; connected to it were forests, with the amount of trees running from thick to thin, and she could even see bodies of water, such as a large lake, glistening and sparkling under the afternoon sun. Even several rivers and creaks, albeit difficult to discern, standing out as they reflected the light of the sun, were visible to her weak human eyes, flowing along the ground at the base of the mountains.

"I can't believe it!" She gasped, her mouth widened into a small "o", and her eyes lit up we brightly was the waters down below. "That a sight like this can exist! Gohan, it's stunning!"

"Would you like to take a closer look?" Gohan queried, pleased to see Erasa was enamored by the sight of nature in all of its glory.

"Of course!" She replied eagerly. "Can't you take me down?"

"If you want me to, sure!" Gohan agreed, seeing no problem at all with Erasa's proposition. "You may want to grab onto my neck then; the speed will be a bit different from what you're used to."

While this confused Erasa, she simply assumed a descent on Kinto'un would require the cloud to pick up speed, and did as Gohan asked, wrapping her thin armed around Gohan's muscular neck. What came next, however, was a complete surprise.

"Gohan, wh-whoa!" Before Erasa could so much as complete her question, she suddenly felt her body jerk forward with Gohan's, and felt a comforting warmth under her body. It quickly dawn on her that this warmth was Gohan's own body heat, and Gohan was flying down towards the forest with her on his back.

"Hold on, Erasa!" Gohan called out as he made a quick descent, heading straight down towards the ground. If Erasa didn't know any better, she'd say Gohan was about to crash into the rock-solid ground, and, by instinct, she felt a twinge of panic.

"Gohan!" She cried out cautiously, but it soon became apparent that she had nothing to fear; moments before the would-be collision, Gohan leveled himself with ease, showing ki control he'd polished ever since the age of four. Erasa heaved a sigh of relief that was nearly drowned out by Gohan's own joyous laughter.

"Flying like this really is the only way to travel!" He said, blissfully oblivious to Erasa's brief episode of panic.

After a moment, Erasa had to agree with Gohan; while she enjoyed flying with Kinto'un, something about Gohan's ease and control of his own flight made it a completely different experience. Of course, she had to admit, flying with absolutely no space between her and Gohan was nothing to complain about either.

"Hold on tight, Erasa," Gohan urged her, picking up speed and altitude. She didn't need telling twice.

Despite Gohan's immense speed, he maintained excellent control and flew straight through a forest, weaving through the dense grove of trees flawlessly; Erasa, by this point, was at total ease flying with Gohan, and now tried her best to keep up with the sights of the forest. It took her a moment to realize that, even now, she was seeing the world from Gohan's perspective. Flying effortlessly along the ground was something only someone like Gohan could enjoy, and while it bewildered her as to how he could even do it, she realized that it had to be liberating.

Flying was the ultimate escape. Only now, she and Gohan were escaping to freedom together.

Making a sharp turn, Gohan flew towards a flowing river, and flew directly over it, leaving a wall of water rising behind him. The sound of gurgling water was soothing to both, and Gohan and Erasa looked down at the river to see two happy teenagers looking back at up them, and couldn't help but watch the smiles spread from ear to ear. Gohan dipped his hand into the brisk, cold waters, gently splashing several droplets playfully back at Erasa, who giggled happily.

For these two, right now, they were alone and free from their worries; invasive friends and psychotic mothers didn't exist here, not for them.

"Hey Gohan," Erasa started, several minutes later, as Gohan ascended high into the sky again, joined by Kinto'un. "I don't want to sound like I'm prying, but, how can you do these things? Your flying? The crime fighting? Where's it...come from?"

"That's actually quite a long story," Gohan replied, surprised at Erasa's sudden curiosity. "It might be easier to just give you a demonstration. Kinto'un, come here!"

At Gohan's command, the Somersault Cloud pulled up at their side, and they boarded their mystical mount once again. "Take us to an island, Kinto'un!" Gohan ordered, and with a sharp U-turn, the cloud tore across the Broaf Mountain Range at high speed.

Erasa was breathless; she'd never thought she'd have been able to have so much enjoyment in one day, and Gohan was simply one surprise after another. The sight that greeted her next was accompanied by the sharp smell of salt and seaweed, and the roaring sound of water crashing against the rocky shore. Filling her eyes with sparkling blue, she realized they'd reached open ocean in just a few minutes, and were flying very close to the water's surface.

"Alright Kinto'un, go a little faster!" Gohan urged, and the cloud tore across the salty waters, and an island came into view. Small though it was, this island was vital in the continued existence of earth. The island in particular was home to the revered Kame-Sen'nin, more commonly Master Rōshi, the man who had trained both Son Goku and Krillin.

"What's that pink house?' Erasa asked, pointing at a small, bright pink, one-bedroom house that was perched on the dead center of the island.

"Oh that? That's Kame-House!" Gohan answered as Kinto'un flew right past the house, and additionally, Master Rōshi, relaxing on a folding beach chair, holding a magazine labeled "AhhHan!", with several others stacked next to him. As Kinto'un whizzed by, it jolted the master from his chair, sending his entire stack of dirty magazines flying into the air.

"My magazines!" Rōshi cried out in a panic, frantically trying reclaim them.

"Sorry, Master Rōshi!" Gohan called back in apology, waving at the man.

In response to his quick arrival and departure, two people emerged from the Kame House. A short man with a shock of black hair, wearing an Hawaiian shirt and tan shorts. Accompanying him would be a petite, pale-skinned woman of exceptional beauty with short blonde hair, who was wearing a sleeveless jean jacket with white pants.

These two individuals were Krillin, and Lazuli, more commonly referred to as Android 18, and both were wearing expressions of comical, wide-eyed shock on their face.

"Was that...?" Rōshi adjusted his sunshades as he stared into the distance.

"...Gohan...?" Krillin focused on the retreating form of the cloud with the two teenagers riding, blissfully unaware of their audience.

"...with a girl?" Android 18's expression and voice betrayed equal shock.

"Chi-Chi's going to kill him." They all agreed sagely, before resuming their daily lives.

It didn't take long for the two to reach an island far more secluded than Roshi's island; a deserted island located to the east of it. Kinto'un descended close to the shore, hovering just above the ground, allowing them to slide off with ease. Standing directly on the beach, Gohan took a deep breath, feeling his ki flow through his body. "Alright, Erasa, watch carefully. This is where my abilities comes from."

Erasa kept her eyes locked on Gohan, a childlike curiosity in her eyes.

Gohan took a stance, cupping both hands at his sides. "Kaaaaaaa...meeeeeee...haaaaaaaa...meeeeeee..." Between his cupped hands, Gohan could feel a familiar heat, the warmth of latent ki energy focused into one single point. As his words emitted focus and disciplined control over the energy drawing up from his core to the center of his palms, the air began to simmer around him like a humid visage upon a desert. The culminating ki took colour and form, becoming a glowing white sphere emitting a bright blue glow. As rays danced between the spaces of his digits, a signifying thrum and high pitched whistling indicating its full priming.

"What's this?" Erasa breathed in shock. Was Gohan holding light between his hands? Then she remembered; this had happened before, in the Cell Game videos. Gohan's father had performed this technique on Cell, and it had been one of the few moments caught in clarity on tape. Which meant Erasa knew what was coming next.

"HA!" Gohan cried, thrusting both hands forward. The energy sphere expanded and then exploded into a violent, blue-hued beam of plasma that ripped across the ocean, forcing the water on either side of it to rise, revealing the seabed below. As the energy petered out, the sea walls crashed together once more, and the tide rushed in at Gohan's feet.

"What was that, Gohan?" Erasa breathed in awe. It was one thing to see that feat performed on video, and another to witness such a dazzling light show in person.

"That was the Kamehameha," Gohan explained. "The technuique takes latent ki from my body, focuses it into a single point between both hands, and expels it in a beam of energy. My ability to fly," He floated a few inches off the ground for a demonstration, "also comes from 'ki'."

"Ki..." Erasa placed a thin finger to her chin in thought. It wasn't something she'd ever heard of before, though the concept of 'internal energy' probably wasn't anything new. "This 'ki' energy...can anyone learn it?"

"While it takes training, any person can learn to draw out their ki," Gohan assured her. "Though it's a bit more difficult for humans." In normal situations, Gohan wouldn't have been quite so blunt, but he needed to use the term 'human' to provide better context for his next statement. "For Saiyans, however, drawing out their ki is a lot easier. That's what I am; half-human, and half-Saiyan."

"Saiyan?" Erasa looked perplexedly at Gohan.

"An alien race from a different planet," The hybrid was very much aware of just how ridiculous this sounded, but if he could tell anyone, Erasa would be the person he could tell.

Erasa flashed Gohan a look of scrutiny. "You _look_ absolutely human," She countered, but, reflecting on what he said answered far more questions than it raised, at least when Gohan's abilities were brought into question. She also had to remember that an anthropomorphic dog was their king, so this was certainly not the most ludicrous thing to happen on Planet Earth.

"I believe what you're saying." The blonde told him, smiling brightly. "This sounds like a novel or something; high-school girl's new friend turns out to be an alien from outer space!"

"I can definitely see the humor in it," Gohan grinned, relieved to see Erasa was as casual as she ever was.

"But Gohan, this 'ki' thing...can you teach _me_?" The blonde implored, her eyes glinting. "Can't you?"

"Wait a second!" Gohan cried in surprise. "Why are you suddenly so keen on learning?"

"It's just...it's something I decided while we were in the Broad Mountain Range!" Erasa said firmly. "By learning how to use 'ki', I can relate more to your own world, Gohan." While this was half-true, internally, Erasa knew the true reason why she wanted to use 'ki' so badly. Just being able to fly was so liberating, and she wanted that kind of freedom. Freedom from her fixation on her own past. But not only that. By learning to use 'ki', she could become closer to Gohan, and the unique world he's opened up to her. A strong part of her knew that was the real reason she wanted to do this.

Gohan was unsure at first, but repeated pleading from Erasa sold him on the idea entirely. "Alright, alright," He conceded weakly, having the feeling this might be the first in a long line of discussions where he'd be on the losing end. "I'll teach you how to use 'ki', but it's not going to be easy. We'll start next weekend, how does that sound?"

"I can't wait to get started!" Erasa's voice brimmed with excitement.

* * *

With his explanation out of the way, Gohan decided to show Erasa more of the countryside. With hours of enjoyment spent sightseeing, their day didn't end until the Sun began to hang low in the sky, dyeing the entire land red in a burning sunset. With their plans successfully made, the two decided it was time to call it a day. Flying back towards Mt. Paozu, Kinto'un descended into the clearing next to the gleaming figure of Erasa's hovercraft.

"So, Gohan," Erasa said playfully, "we still have another day before school starts again. Same time tomorrow?"

"Of course!" Gohan replied, almost too quickly, and Erasa noticed, smiling to herself. His innocence really was endearing.

"Before I go, I just remembered I had something," Erasa reached into her pocket, pulling out a blue Hoi-Poi Capsule. She tossed it to Gohan, who caught it seamlessly. "Don't open that 'till you get home, but you forgot them at my house!" She was being deliberately vague, before the bubble shaped shield pulled back on the hovercraft, allowing Erasa to clamber into the cockpit. "See you tomorrow, Gohan!" She said cheerfully before the engine roared to life, and she rose into the air. Waving happily down at Gohan, who waved back at her with a broad smile on his face, the hovercraft took off towards Satan City.

Gohan took off from that spot, and arrived home only a few minutes after Erasa had left. Much to his relief, his mother avoided asking any awkward questions, as it wasn't uncommon for Gohan to go off by himself on the weekends — he and his father shared a similar love of nature and fishing — so there was nothing to arouse her suspicion. With the Hoi-Poi Capsule clenched in his palm, Gohan proceeded to his room. Pressing the button on the top of the capsule lightly, Gohan gently tossed the capsule and it exploded in a puff of smoke, revealing...a polished pair of black men's shoes.

Gohan stared at them in silence, wondering why Erasa would give him capsulized shoes. After several moments silence, it suddenly hit him, and his mouth twitched. "Wait a second...are those my shoes?" As the seconds ticked on, and the gears clicked on Gohan's head, he couldn't help but double over laughing, realizing that he'd only just now realized he'd dashed out of Erasa's window on their first hangout without shoes

* * *

Arriving at her home within the hour, Erasa landed the hovercraft directly in front of her house. With a click, the bubble shield rose back, and Erasa make a deft leap out of the the craft, landing smoothly on the sidewalk. Pressing a bright red button on the side, the craft reverted to the form of a Hoi-Poi Capsule in an explosion of smoke. Unlocking the door to her home, Erasa walked inside, kicking off her shoes and flipping on the lights. Well aware her father was still at work, Erasa immediately ascended the stairs and went to her room, turning on the lights as she was confronted with the bright colours she was so used to. But as she collapsed on her bed, and looked at the cloud patterns on her wall, something about them seemed off to her.

"What have I been doing?" She muttered to herself, eyes firmly locked on the childish paintings that adorned her walls and ceiling. "To stay locked in the past like this..." Groaning in frustration, she slapped her hand to her forehead. "How can I talk to Gohan about wanting to help him, when I can't even help myself move on?" Flashing before her eyes was the figure of a woman with neck-length blonde hair, and features that matched Erasa's own. "If I can't move forward now...I won't be able to help Gohan when he needs me there." After several more minutes of silent deliberation, Erasa slid off the bed, walking downstairs to the storage closet. Digging through it, she found several rolls of wallpaper. Smiling to herself, she remembered that her mother used to use these when the walls needed to be redone; her father, on the other hand, was never the type for chores.

"Erasa?" The puzzled voice of her father, Marque, caught her attention, causing the blonde to look over her shoulder in surprise. "I was calling for you for five minutes." Straightening his tie, his brown eyes fell on the rolls of paper clutched in her arms. "What are you doing with those?"

"Just a little renovating, Dad!" Erasa said, smiling as she headed back towards her room, determined to follow through on her resolve before she reconsidered everything.

The look of surprised on Marque's face quickly melted into a kind smile, his thick moustache twitching with the action. "_Quile...you've be so proud of our daughter. It's been a long time, but she's finally moving on_."

* * *

**Author's Note: **_First off, lemme apologize for the delay everyone! It's been over a week since my last chapter, and I'm sorry for that. In response to one of the reviews I received, I will try to post these as frequently as possible — I do love what I do — but I also have other things to do during the week, such as a job, and then there's things I do just to amuse myself, such as games. Anyone who paid attention to Erasa's casual attire can tell I based it off May's new look from Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, and that's all you need to know to get I am an avid Pokémon fan. So, while I will try to get these up as often as I can, if they're a bit later than they usually are, I got caught up in some other activity, and for that, I apologize in advance._

___To anyone not in the know, Lazuli is Android 18's real name, as confirmed in an interview with Toriyama. Android 17's is Lapis._

_I actually had a lot of fun writing this chapter, even though it took me over a week; I worked really hard to make Erasa and Gohan's free time as cute and adorable as possible, and I hope it was well received. In the next chapter, training begins, look forward to it. Additionally, the scene with Gohan's shoes was inspired by a Guest commenter; I wish they'd had a username so I could give them a shout-out properly, but thank you! I'm also glad to see that some people got the puns I used for the console names, though they were a bit easy. So here's my question this time; anyone get the puns in the names "Marque" and "Quile", Erasa's parents? What about the teacher that appeared previously even though he didn't appear in this chapter? On a final note, let's give a thanks to my friend Demod20, who once again looked over the finished product to make sure it was passable! Anyway, stay tuned, everyone, for the next chapter!_


	5. Battle of Heart and Soul

**Satan City, District 666, Satan House; Living Room**

"_Earlier today, the Golden Warrior saved Satan City from terror once again._" Videl was sitting on the sofa in her father's ludicrously large home, legs huddled up to her chest as she kept her eyes glued to the face of the female reporter on the television set._"Heroically apprehending four armed criminals who were attempting to use children the Satan Day-Care for hostages, the —"_

Raising the remote towards the television set, Videl jammed on the power button and furiously threw the remote at the screen, jumping up from the couch in a huff.

As if on cue, one of the many butlers that served the Satan household appeared around the corner. "Ms. Videl, I heard a disturbance. Do you require assistance?"

"Nothing you can help me with, Jū!" Videl replied snappishly, leaving the trained butler unperturbed as she stormed her way up the stairs to her bedroom.

"I do wish she would show some restraint," The man called Jū sighed empathetically. His eyes swiveled to the television set, and saw the remote firmly embedded into the widescreen. "This is the third television set this week." Straightening his glasses along the bridge of his nose, he removed the remove from its perch, before concluding he should inform Mr. Satan that he would have to purchase yet another television.

Oblivious to having destroyed the television set, Videl yanked open the door to her room, before slamming the door shut behind her. Briskly walking across the smooth tile floor, the ebony-haired girl elbowed the punching bag that dangled from her ceiling out of the way, collapsing heavily onto the black and red hued sheets and quilts that adorned her fluffy bed. Her eyes fell on a big poster placed on the far-wall of her room; a life-size picture of her father, Mr. Satan, wearing his Championship belt and flashing his trademark smile for the camera. How long had it been since she'd first gotten that poster? Several years now? She'd been so proud of her dad then.

Remembering her father's various accomplishments, however, didn't give her a sense of pride today. Instead, they brought the fires of anger; not at her father, but at the city's new 'hero', the Golden Warrior.

"_He shows up in our city, completely out-of-left-field, and prances around like he owns the place!_" She thought furiously, grabbing one of her crimson pillows and squeezing it tightly in a fit of frustration. "_Who does he think he is?! Acting like a superhero straight out of an overplayed comic book!_" Raving to herself, the girl threw the pillow she was clutching across the room, hearing its muffled impact with her Fony Gamestation 4.

"_And then there's Erasa, defending the Golden Warrior as if he's not doing anything wrong! We're best friends, aren't we supposed to be on the same side here?!_" The thought of her best friend defending the girl's newfound nemesis truly got Videl riled up, and she tossed and turned on her bed in irritation. "_It has to be that Gohan's fault — she's already spending too much time with him. He's got to be distracting her, twisting her perception!_" Hissing madly, Videl firmly decided Gohan was the one at fault for all of this.

"Who does he think he is?" She started to rant aloud by this point, apparently having lost the ability of internal dialogue. "Using that tall gait of his to get her to look up to him. Puff out that muscle bound chest of his behind that uniform and...flex his biceps when in gym..." Videl's face began to heat up as she continued to pick apart everything she saw in Gohan, "...and staring at her with those big dark eyes with that smile and stupid hair." Her face flushing redder than a ripe beet, Videl hid her face into her spare pillow, crying out a muffled, "Wait-a-minute, what the hell am I saying?!"

Removing her face from the pillow, Videl took a slow, deep breath, trying to calm herself. "_Don't focus on him, don't focus on him, don't focus on him!_" She told herself firmly, smacking her face. "Maybe if I sleep, I can calm myself down." Without even removing her day clothes, the girl collapsed back onto her bed, firmly keeping her mind locked on the time she'd spend with Erasa the next day; a free Saturday morning with her best friend.

* * *

**Satan City, District 666, Satan Training Hall**

"Thanks for agreeing to come out and spar with me," Videl smiled warmly at Erasa as the two took a seat on a bench, the former wiping sweat from her brow. Finally managing to fit herself into Erasa's schedule, Videl had to admit, she couldn't be happier. Having asked a few days prior, Videl managed to get Erasa to meet up with her and function as her training partner in a sparring match. Fitting the situation and the location — the Satan Training Hall — the two girls were currently wearing white training _gi,_though the attire seemed far more fitting for Videl than Erasa.

"Of course!" Erasa replied, smiling brightly. She'd only been too eager to meet up with Videl, especially given the early hour; she still had time on her hands before she was to go meet up with Gohan. "I've actually been slacking off in my gym, so this little workout might help be catch up."

Admittedly, Erasa didn't have the experience in martial arts that Videl did. Both girls had entered training when they were younger, but while Videl pursued the art with fire in her eyes, Erasa had decided it might not have been for her, and went to try out with various sports and teams instead.

Videl's bright blue eyes blinked rapidly in confusion. Erasa, slacking off in her physical activities? They'd both been devoted to remaining committed to their training since they were young children, and neither she nor Erasa had been deterred. Of course, there had been that time when they were seven, when Erasa tried out for the swim team, and there had been that incident with the swim noodle. Videl shuddered, trying to shake that memory off. "Slacking off, Erasa? It's surprising to hear that coming from someone who attends club meetings in between her classes and even during Sundays."

"Well, what can I say?" Erasa scratched her cheek nervously, flushing pink in the cheeks. "I've been rather busy, as of late..."

"You mean with that boy?" Sharp as a whip, Videl countered the girl's statement with a waspish hiss. Unfortunately for Erasa, she'd just pressed the 'Gohan' button, and she shouldn't have done that.

"Hm?" Erasa blinked, unaware of the fact that she'd just touched Videl's trigger. "That boy? Do you mean Gohan?"

Videl let out an exasperated sigh. "Who _else_ do you spend all the time chatting and staring at with doe-eyes? OF COURSE I MEAN GOHAN!"

Erasa should have expected this. Videl had been harping on Gohan's case ever since the boy had first enrolled in their school, and it was on of the reasons she'd been hesitant to pay her best friend a visit. Briefly contemplating not dignifying Videl's statement with a response, she sighed, "We're just good friends, Videl. We had a great time those years ago and rekindling a friendship like this seems natural." Her eyes narrowed, and a sly smile crossed her face. "Why? You're not jealous are you?"

Videl's face flushed a deep red, flabbergasted at Erasa's bold accusation. "N-no! Why would I be jealous!?" She spluttered, her denial of the obvious plain on her face. " I'm not jealous, I'm concerned! You don't know for sure that Mr. "Not-Blonde" isn't really the Golden Warrior!" The ebony-haired girl, still flustered, spoke now with the air of a person trying to get a conversation back into territory she was comfortable with. "I don't want you getting into trouble, in case he's finally exposed!"

Erasa shook her head in exasperation, ignoring the irony of Videl's statement as there were _several_ things about Gohan the blonde knew that Videl did not. "And here you go with the Golden Warrior again! Haven't we already told you Gohan's not the Golden Warrior?" Videl winced at how easily Erasa used 'we' when referring to herself and Gohan, as if they were a packaged deal. "Why do you still believe that? What do you have against the Golden Warrior anyways?"

Videl's sapphire eyes narrowed sharply at her best friend. "Erasa, you don't get it! I'm Videl, the daughter of the World Champion, Mr. Satan! I'm expected to be great, just like him! But when people look at me, they're not seeing me and you know that — just 'the daughter of the great Mr. Satan'." She spat the last seven words as if they were poison. "If I let some cocky vigilante steal the spotlight, not only will I forever be stuck in my father's shadow, but I might not even be able to save the stragglers that the Golden Warrior overlooks, or is just plain careless with!"

"From what I hear, he's very considerate to bystanders." Erasa was quick to defend Gohan from Videl's accusations, though she felt arguing against the girl by this point was useless. "He doesn't even hurt crooks that much."

"Rumors are rumors!" Videl replied acidly. "Just you wait — when he and I meet again, face to face, I'll show him who the _real_hero of Satan City is!"

* * *

**East District 439, Base of Mount Paozu, Son Residence**

Excitement. This was the feeling coursing through the body of one Son Gohan as he reclined on the round roof of his mountain home. Ever since last week, it seemed like the times he and Erasa were together were becoming something akin to a bright light in his life; warm and bright, like the sun. When she was around, his thoughts drifted less to the bitter memories he had of his father's death — the guilt, and the pain, seemed to vanish when she was near.

Leaning back in the light of the near-morning sun, Gohan heard the sound of a door opening and closing, and looked down off the side of the roof to see his mother walking out with a large basket of laundry. Briefly cursing himself mentally for not choosing a better perch, Gohan quickly tried to duck out of sight, but the trained eyes of his mother caught the movement in her peripheral vision.

"Good morning, son!" She called up loudly, causing Gohan to wince nervously. "So glad to see you still remember your mother's here!"

"Good morning, Mom!" Gohan called back, waving frantically. He knew that tone better than anyone — except perhaps his father. Chi-Chi wasn't happy Gohan had snuck onto the roof without even saying good morning beforehand.

"Since you're so eager to be out here, why don't you give your mother a hand with your own laundry?" She asked pointedly, making it clear it wasn't a question so much as a demand in disguise. "Goten and I are heading out to West City, so I'd like to get this done quickly!"

"S-sure!" Gohan replied hastily, leaping smoothly from the roof and landing deftly onto the grass, before straightening himself up and walking over to his mother, who tossed him the laundry basket while she erected the clothes line, smiling to herself.

"It's so nice to have you out here helping me, Gohan," She said sweetly, taking the Saiyan youth by surprise. Her furious visage from the past week was ingrained into his psyche; it was actually shocking to remember that his mother could smile sweetly.

"Don't mention it, Mom," Gohan replied, a feeling of relief washing over him. If he was lucky, he might be able to finish the laundry quickly, and have his mother head to West City with Goten in a very good mood, thus freeing up Gohan's entire day.

"So, how's your first week at school been going, Gohan?" Chi-Chi asked as she took the basket from her son and the two began to unfold the wet clothes to hang on the line. With expert hands and nimble fingers, she unfolded the sopping cloth and strung it on the line even faster than Gohan, possibly due to years of housework. "You never spend any time talking to your mother anymore; you cut your arrival time close to the line when you get home, you vanish into your room after dinner before I can so much as ask you a question, and even now, on the weekends, it's like you're deliberately tiring out Goten and then vanishing off into the forest."

"It's just been a really busy week," Gohan replied airily, waving off Chi-Chi's accusations. By focusing on unfolding the clothing, he could avoid eye contact, and therefore, his mother couldn't pick up on him avoiding her statements. "I think I'm doing alright at fitting in, and the classes are easier than I expected."

"Don't became lax in your studies just because the classes aren't difficult, Gohan," Chi-Chi chastised sharply, though she smiled again. "I'm glad to hear all of the studying you did as a boy paid off, even if it did have...periodic interruptions." Despite the casual tone of the conversation, Gohan could hear the ice in his mother's tone; she'd never been fond of the times when his father had taken him along to save the world, even prioritizing his studies over the fate of the planet, despite the logical fallacy.

Gohan knew very well his mother expected him to graduate with the highest of honours, and he had to say it wouldn't be impossible. He briefly remembered that, even as a seven year old, his mother had him study theoretical physics, among several other things that most parents would find too advanced for their child. "Don't worry Mom, you know me, diligent as always. I've even turned down several — repeated no less — invitations to the boxing club."

"That's my boy," The woman laughed, a cheerful smile sparking up to her eyes, evidently proud of Gohan for finally putting his studies over fighting. "You're going to make a great scholar son, just you wait! I'll be so proud of you!"

Gohan sighed to himself, returning to handing clothes on the line. While he'd never tell his mother, he wasn't fond of the studying she'd made him do as a child. While he'd come to appreciate it, as it came with its benefits, he still felt there was more to his childhood that he'd missed out on, that she'd taken away, just to turn him into something she wanted. Not wanting to spoil his mother's cheerful mood, however, Gohan only nodded, smiling, as they continued to hang the clothes in silence for several more minutes. The sound of an engine, faint in the distance, caught Gohan's ear, and realization quickly dawned on him that Erasa was already on her way.

Gohan knew he had to think up an excuse to get away from Chi-Chi; the question being 'how'?

While unfolding clothing, Chi-Chi's nose, though significantly weaker than Gohan's, picked up a strange scent from his clothing. Having lived around her family their entire lives, she unconsciously recognized their scents by this point. However, the dim smell wafting into her nose was a new one; it smelled sweet, like fruit shampoo. Narrowing her eyes, she glanced at her son, who was busying himself with another garment, before she hung the shirt up on the line, her back to him.

Finally, Gohan came up with what he prayed sounded plausible. "I think I hear Goten calling! He may need something!" Running his mouth quickly, Gohan immediately leaped into the air, quickly trying to make a break for it. "See you later mom!"

"Wait, Gohan, where are you-!?" Chi-Chi turned quickly to see Gohan ascending into the sky, about to head off towards a clearing she knew was in the distance. However, in the sky, something caught the woman's eye; a hovercraft. A hovercraft...Gohan trying to fly off, in the same direction and the feminine scent that lingered on his clothing. Chi-Chi's brain was working like gears, and quite quickly, everything clicked in the sharp mother's head.

He was meeting up with that girl.

"Not so fast, young man!" Chi-Chi shouted, causing Gohan to stop dead in his tracks, cursing his luck. "Don't look me in the face and lie to me! What, do you think I was born yesterday!?"

"W-what do you mean, Mom?" Gohan replied nervously, immediately regretting every decision he'd made since this morning.

"Don't play dumb with me, Gohan! And you get down here on ground level when I'm talking to you!" The furious mother snarled, glaring upwards at her eldest son, who descended to the ground with a look of trepidation on his face. "Do you take me for a fool, like your father?! How do you think I feel, with my own son sneaking around and lying behind my back!?"

"T-that's not it at all!" Gohan protested, though he couldn't deny he had been sneaking around to see Erasa, and _had_ given his mother a complete and utter lie, but it was only because she made it necessary, couldn't she see that? "Why can't you get it? I can't just be a..._loner _all the time. It's not a bad thing for me to make friends at school; if I don't try and socialize, what's the point in being around people my own age?"

"Friends are fine, but I don't want you spending so much time with that girl!" Chi-Chi roared over Gohan's protests. "I've told you time and time again; I don't want anything getting in the way of your studies, and this includes tramps like this girl!" Her chest and shoulders were heaving, a sign that she was breathing heavily.

Gohan gritted his teeth, his fists clenching slightly. "But mother—!"

"Don't you 'but mother' me!" The furious woman argued back, quite beside herself by this point. "But it's nice to see you finally get it, I _am_ your mother, and as your mother, you will do as I—!"

"MOM, SHUT UP!" Gohan demanded, stunning Chi-Chi into silence with his sudden, furious outcry. "Everything you're saying, just, stop! Do you hear yourself? Anything you've said, in the past seven years, _have you heard anything that's come out of your mouth?_"

Absolutely dumbfounded by her son rounding on her in truly justified fury, Chi-Chi could only remain quiet as Gohan continued to speak.

"How do you expect me to get any kind of real world experience like this if you keep being so overbearing and overprotective!?" The Saiyan-hybrid ranted on, his furious gaze locked on his stupefied mother. "I never ask for much, you know that better than anyone! I've always done what you've asked, and yet you're still this insistent on keeping me under your thumb!? Don't you think it's time to let go? Don't you think I can handle myself!?" Breathing as heavily as Chi-Chi had been moment's before, he carried on. "And to make it worse, you're torturing yourself with the delusion that Dad is coming back. He's _gone_, Mom! I saw it happen!_I made it happen!_"

Years of pent up anger and frustration were pouring out of Gohan like a dam that had finally burst; Chi-Chi, unfortunately, was the village drowning in the impending flood of emotion._"_He's never coming back; how do you think it makes not only me feel, to hear you blindly hold onto this, but Goten as well! He's never met our father, and you're making a little boy think a dead man is coming back!"

"I-I..." Chi-Chi choked on a reply, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You need to let go, Mom." Gohan replied sharply, glaring before he turned his back on her, erupting in a pillar of energy and taking flight, leaving a small crater in the ground due to forgetting to restrain his own power. Refusing to look back, he left his mother, who fell to her knees in defeated silence.

* * *

Approaching the clearing surprisingly quickly, Gohan saw Erasa standing outside her hovercraft, looking up at the sky, waiting for him. The moment she saw his form in the sky, her face broke out into a wide smile, and she began to wave frantically. At the sight of her smiling face, Gohan decided firmly to himself that arguing with his mother over Erasa was worth it, and descended to the ground.

"Did I keep you waiting?" Gohan inquired, landing neatly on the ground as Erasa bounded over to him.

"No, not at all." She said smoothly; to be fair, Gohan had kept her waiting, if only for a few minutes, but she was far too polite to tell me this. "It took me awhile to land the hovercraft." Her sapphire orbs narrowed, trained Gohan's face, and immediately, she caught a hint of something amiss. "Gohan? Is something the matter?"

"It's..." Gohan sighed, remembering that he couldn't lie to Erasa. "My mother and I...we, ah...we said some things to each other. Loudly. I'd rather not dwell on it at the moment, to be honest."

"That's fine," Erasa replied, knowing it was best not to pry. If Gohan wanted to tell her at some point, he would, but she wouldn't make him say anything if he didn't want to. They stood together in an awkward silence, Erasa slipping her hand into Gohan's, an effort to give him some emotional support that he truly appreciated.

"Alright, let's begin your training." Gohan said firmly after a moment's additional silence. He couldn't dwell on this forever, and Erasa had come to learn. "Are you sure you still want to learn how to use _ki_?"

"What's that? Are you trying to weasel on out of teaching me, Gohan?" Erasa accused playfully, gently jabbing a finger into Gohan's chest.

"N-No, that's not it!" Gohan defended himself hastily, the tension broken as the two returned to their casual selves. "It's just, this might be difficult for you, that's all! Learning how to use _ki_ is far easier when you begin as a child. The older you get, the more difficult it becomes to start from the ground up."

"We won't know until we try, will we?" Erasa replied, undaunted by Gohan's cautionary warning.

"That's always true. Let's begin." Gohan took a seat on the ground, in the same spot, and Erasa followed, sitting cross-legged. "Our goal is to get you to learn to use _ki._ When one learns to use _ki_, their body is activated in various ways; strength, endurance, speed, all of these are enhanced, and can make additional training easier." Gohan let out a weak laugh. "I know I sound sure of myself, but, to be honest, I've never taught anyone before."

"Don't feel unsure," Erasa replied soothingly. "I'm not going anywhere, Gohan, so take your time."

"Watch me," Gohan said, cupping his hands out in front of his body. "I'll try and take this as slow as I can, so you can follow it easier."

Remaining silent, Erasa watched, her eyes alight with curiosity.

"Tapping into _ki_, you must clear your mind and only focus on the inside. Feel that warmth build up in the center of your body and focus on that. Siphon all of your will and concentration on that ball of heat inside of you. Then, you start to pull it out, like a ladle," A dim, blue light began to shimmer between the space of Gohan's open palms. It coalesced as it gained mass, shape, and rotation, as if forming a structure akin to a miniature star using Will alone. "draw it out, little by little, and you form _ki_."

Erasa was at a loss for words; it wasn't that she hadn't seen _ki_ before, far from it. She was simply entranced by Gohan's level of control. Ever since last week, when she thought of the energy Gohan manipulated, all she could think of was the destructive display he'd shown off back on Nanab Island. "It's so...pretty..." She murmured, crawling forward on her hands and knees to get a closer look at the spiraling sphere. An expression of innocent curiosity adorned her face now, utterly fascinated with the display.

"Alright, now, you try it!" The light flickered out in Gohan's hands, snapping Erasa back into reality. "Remember, remain absolutely calm."

"Roger that!" Erasa resumed her sitting position, and, like Gohan had prior, cupped her hands out in front of body. Trying to recall the demonstration Gohan had shown not moment's before, she tried to become calm. She found the easiest way to do this was to steady her breathing; breathing slowly in through the nose and out through her mouth, a basic breathing exercise.

Gohan's eyes caught onto this immediately, and a smile crossed his face. "_She picks up on things quickly,_" The hybrid thought to himself, impressed. "_Controlling ki does start with proper breath control, which is essential in any martial art. I think she might have a talent for this._"

Having achieved what she felt was an even breathing pace, Erasa kept still on the grass. Closing her eyes, she focused only on herself at this point, trying to remove everything mentally from existence. With this, it became easier for her to listen for what Gohan had said — the center of her body. To her surprise, she found it; a warmth deep within her body that beckoned the young girl that moment it realized she was consciously aware of it.

"_She's already reached her inner well of ki!_" Gohan was amazed at this progress in only ten minutes of practice. Could she actually make such quick progress?

As if instinct took over her body, Erasa mentally responded to this warmth. Determined, she began to respond by 'pulling' back on the inner tug, aiming draw this warmth to the surface. Astonishingly, she could start to feel the warmth spread from the center of her body towards her palms. "_Am I really about to do it?_" She thought excitedly.

It was here that her control lapsed. The warmth retreated back to the center swiftly, causing Erasa to gasp in shock as she felt strength leave her body, nearly collapsing to the ground from the exertion.

"Erasa!" Gohan rushed over to her, bending down next to the girl's fallen frame. "Are you alright?!"

Breathing heavily, Erasa looked upward at Gohan, smiling weakly. "I was so close, Gohan. I could feel it, but then I got excited..."

"The emotional anchor will go away in time, don't worry," Gohan assured her, smiling. "For someone whose never drawn on_ki_ before, you've already made astounding progress! Come on, let's go take a break. I can grab us something to eat!"

* * *

"Woo hoo!" The ectastic cries of the Saiyan hybrid soon filled the air as he quickly tore off his shirt, throwing it to the ground and making a leap into a glistening, flowing river. Surfacing, he waved frantically over at Erasa. "Watch me, alright? I'll catch us a big one!"

"Go, Gohan!" Erasa cheered, laughing. The sight of Gohan active with such vigor seemed to restore her own stamina as well, and his good mood was infectious. She relaxed at the riverside, letting her body recover as she watched the still waters. Gohan had vanished underneath their surface, and she was left to her own thoughts in this time.

"_He's so happy,_" Gohan's cheerful expression, that wide, innocent smile was locked in her mind's eye. "_How can he be like that, after fighting with his mother? Does he repress it all? Or is there more to it?_" She remembered briefly how Gohan would avoid much talk of his mother over the course of the last two weeks. And when she was mentioned, they weren't necessarily positive things. "_His mother...she actually seems violent. What if she doesn't like me? What if she thinks I'm not good enough for Gohan?_" The blonde girl's mind worked overtime, churning out several situations in which Chi-Chi would reject her — violently at that, with one involving a German Suplex — and she shuddered.

Water sploshed onto the lakeside, sweeping up to Erasa's feet as Gohan emerged from under the water's surface, carrying a squirming fish nearly half his size against his glistening wet form. Laughing, Gohan held the fish into the air, triumphant. To anyone who had known his father, it would been remarkable just how similar to Goku Gohan was in this moment.

"_I think Gohan is the only person I know who fishes like that,_" Erasa thought with a giggle, only stifled after what she saw besides the fish. In her eyes, Gohan's herculean body shined with the refraction of water still rolling off his skin. Even with a happy-go-lucky grin on his face and an innocent wave, it looked almost like the spitting image of a god from myth was smiling in her direction. With these thoughts in mind, Erasa's innocent mental quip turned to one of a dazed fantasy, causing her cheeks to flush hotly. "Oh gosh, Gohan, please put clothes on before you make me pass out...!"

Gohan's smile changed to one of confusion as he threw the fish onto the riverbank, before leaping out of the water himself. "Why would you pass out?" He inquired, taking note of her red flushed face. Still sopping wet, Gohan bent down, moving in close to Erasa and pressing his forehead to hers. "You look a bit dizzy; do you have a fever?"

That was the point Erasa lost control of herself; having Gohan in such close proximity, his glistening, chiseled features became even more apparent. Her face flushed even darker, and she swore she could pick up his scent, before darkness fell and she blacked out on the spot.

* * *

The smell of cooking meat wafted towards Erasa's nose, and her body responded, eyes flickering as they snapped open. The sun shined down into the sapphire orbs, causing her to squint to dim the light. Sitting up, the crackling of a fire could be heard and she saw Gohan, mercifully clothed, sitting in front of a fire. The fish he'd caught was nowhere to be seen; instead, there were multiple slices of it propped up over the fire, and it would appear they'd been cooking for several minutes.

"Hey, you're awake!" Gohan waved cheerfully, a wide grin on his face. "You didn't have a fever, but you fainted for some reason."

"How long was I out for?" Erasa asked groggily, rubbing her head.

"Only fifteen minutes," Gohan replied casually. "I took the liberty of starting the fire, gutting and preparing the fish. Judging from the smell, it should be ready pretty soon. After we eat, we'll start your training again."

At that, Erasa felt excitement run through her body. They were going to try again. She _had_ to get it right this time, she absolutely had to. "I won't mess up this time, Gohan. I know I can do it!"

"You'll do just fine." Gohan agreed, turning towards Erasa. Cupping his hands, he formed another small sphere of energy within his palm, yellow this time, spiraling and glowing bright, like the sun. "Here, give me your hands."

Confused, Erasa extended her hands to Gohan, who took them gently in his free hand. Gently, he placed the sphere of energy within Erasa's palms, where it floated, luminous and self-sustaining. Erasa's confusion changed to a look of excitement as she realised she was holding a sphere of _ki_.

"I figure it might be easier on you if you get a feeling for what you're striving for," Gohan carried on, smiling as she saw her face light up in a way that had nothing to do with the yellow sphere. "Remember this feeling; it will help you when you try it for yourself."

Gazing, entranced, at the radiant sphere that hovered within her palms, Erasa could only say that she felt uplifted. The feeling of holding ki within her palms was intoxicating. She tore her eyes away from the sight, flashing a determined smile towards Gohan. "Let's eat, Gohan. I'm ready to try again!"

* * *

A few hours had elapsed since the two had eaten lunch and resumed their training. With Gohan standing above her like an ever watchful guardian, the blonde teenager sat, cross-legged on the cool grass. The entire forest was immersed in silence; only the wind blew, cool and crisp, and even the sounds of nature seemed to silence themselves in preparation for this moment. As Gohan instructed, she calmed herself, once again resorting to the breathing exercises she knew so well.

Achieving a state of peace with remarkable ease, Erasa felt it once again; a warmth deep within her body that beckoned the young girl that moment it realized she was consciously aware of it. Responding to this warmth, Erasa mentally pulled on it herself, drawing the warmth from the center of her body to her palms. The sensation of Gohan's own _ki_ resonated firmly in her mind, the feeling of euphoria that she felt was firmly in her memory, and, with a flash, a lustrous white sphere took form in her palms.

"Gohan!" Erasa gasped, the spiraling sphere afloat between her palms seeming to respond to her own excitement as it glowed ever brighter. "Look! I did it!" A similar feeling that had welled up inside her body before, when Gohan had given her the sphere of_ki_ to hold, was now returning, tenfold.

"That's amazing, Erasa!" Gohan declared, stunned with her progress. "This has to be because of your athleticism. While it may not be martial arts, your body is still trained physically from all the physical activities you've done all your life!" During the past two weeks, Erasa had explained to Gohan that she was a member of several various teams and clubs over the course of the school year, all of them related to sports or physical fitness in some way. "That must have made it easier for you to draw out your _ki_ like this!"

"Do you think I can learn to fly like this?" She breathed, undeniably excited.

"Hold your horses!" Gohan laughed, taken in by her enthusiasm. "Drawing out your _ki_ consciously is just the first step! Now you have to learn how to control it, and that's what we're going to work on tomorrow."

* * *

Chi-Chi sighed as she slipped into her steaming hot bath. Ever since her, for lack of a better term, fight, she had been solemnly contemplating what led this on for the past hours of the day. After pacing and staring at walls in uncharacteristic silence, she decided a bath would do her some good. After all, she didn't have her father build her the bathroom extension in her home for nothing!

By the time her luscious thighs slipped beneath the steaming, azure surface, she shuddered and let out a relieved sigh. Goosebumps trailed up her dry arms she propped onto the bath's tops. With her voluptuous breasts partially submerged, they floated buoyantly within the steaming moisture. Letting her hair down, Chi-Chi let out a small smile of brief enjoyment as she settled in the bath. Her entire bare outline rippling under the water and lapping against her shining sleek skin that would be the envy of many women her age and a generation younger.

But after settling for a few more moments, Chi-Chi's smile quickly faded, before finally settling into an inversion that reflected her inner turmoil. Her eyes stared at the water's refracting exterior, allowing her mind to wander over the last seven years she's spent with her family. She always remembered seeing Gohan look so happy, even after the death of the father he cherished so much. But looking back harder, she would always see the hesitance in his actions whenever she brought up her deceased husband and how he would have handled the situation he was within. She thought, at times, Goku was a terrible role model but his pleasant demeanor had always had her wondering about her personal judgement.

Then when she gave birth to Goten, she experienced the most joy she had in ages. The uncanny resemblance to his father was there in their son and she wanted, honestly, to find a way to keep his image around. She groomed the small clumps of hair her baby boy had as he grew up to resemble it exactly as her father, so subtly that not even Gohan questioned it all these years. Remembering this caused her eyes to well up with tears, causing them to flow down her cheeks and drip onto her floating, smooth bosom.

"Goku...are you really not coming back? Have I really been holding onto something that's not here anymore?" Chi-Chi thought as her lips quivered, shortly before giving way to a series of sobs. The water dispersed in motion as Chi-Chi bent forward in the bath, covering her face with both hands as she cried into her palms, overcome with grief and sorrow.

"I miss you...I miss you so much, Goku!" She wept bitterly into her hands as her voluptuous frame shook with every cry and shaky breath she let out.

* * *

**Author's Note: **_AND CHAPTER FIVE IS FINALLY DONE! First off, let me apologize to everyone, even though I know that will sound repetitive. This entire time since the latest chapter, I got caught up with my friends, work, and even some images that I'm doing on the side (that, as of this point, I have still not finished, note to self). I'm just grateful how patient you guys are, and I really hope this chapter isn't below your expectations!_

As usual, I have a pun or two to cover. This time around, it's Jū, Videl's ever faithful (and mistreated, poor man) butler. His name, like every other name here, is a pun on something. In his case, it's a pun on the Japanese word kajū (_家従__) or, quite literally, "butler". Yeah, really digging deep, ain't I? I couldn't come up with a butler pun otherwise that didn't sound like a child's attempt at humor, but if anyone has any, send 'em my way. Videl does have loads of servants._

I think that's all I have to say regarding this chapter, this time around. As usual, I have to thank my friend Demod20, he's always a big help writing these chapters, when it comes to looking over it when I've finished, and brainstorming to help me think of which direction to take what.

I'll see you guys in the next exciting installment of the Erased Chronicles!


	6. Rise Up

**Satan City, District 666, Erasa's Home; Erasa's Room, The Night Following Training**

"Remain calm..." Erasa's soft voice could be heard through the imperceptible darkness that shrouded her entire room. With her eyes closed, the lack of light meant little anyway, it was merely for dramatic effect. Evening her breath, as if on instinct by this point, the now familiar "pull" of her own inner well of _ki_ called to her.

"_Tapping into_ _ki, you must clear your mind and only focus on the inside. Feel that warmth build up in the center of your body and focus on that._"

Gohan's words, clear as crystal, resonated in the blonde girl's head as she felt the warmth from the center of her body flood outward and into the palm of her hands. It erupted once more into the familiar, spiraling sphere she was used to, but it shone much brighter than before, nearly illuminating her entire room in a soft white glow.

"_I can really do it, Gohan_," Erasa thought to herself with pride. With this, she was taking another step closer to him.

* * *

**East District 439, Base of Mount Paozu, Son Residence**

An uncomfortable silence sat over the Son family as Chi-Chi's two sons sat down at the table for breakfast. Gohan and Chi-Chi were avoiding making eye contact with the other, and she spoke only to her youngest son as she asked for help setting the table. It was quite clear the argument from the previous day was weighing heavily on both their minds; only poor Goten had no idea what was creating the unbearable atmosphere.

The family ate in silence, a tense muteness that pervaded the entire room. The sound of the clock ticking could be heard, chopsticks clicking against bowls as the family ate their food. Goten and Gohan, whose ears were more developed as Saiyans, were used to these noises, and did their best to ignore them, despite their magnified volume. It was Chi-Chi who began to look obviously uncomfortable, noises she was unused to adding to the pressure.

The instant dinner was finished, Gohan knew he had to break the silence. If he didn't say something soon, he was quite sure his voice was crack from being underused.

"Mom, I need to tell you something," Gohan's voice rang out through the hush, and just as he suspected, sounded quite hoarse.

Chi-Chi looked up from the sink, a worried expression crossing her face as she nearly dropped one of the wooden rice bowls into the sink. "Goten, honey, why don't you play outside?" She said sweetly to her youngest child

"But I want—!" The boy began to make a protest, not eager to be cut out of the conversation when it had finally just started.

"Go on, Goten," It was Gohan who urged his little brother away from the table and out towards the door. "Why don't you go play with Chobi?"

"Alright!" The miniature Saiyan's eyes lit up excitedly at the prospect of going to find the baby pterodactyl. Without any need for further persuasion, the boy tore out of the house, leaving his brother alone with their mother, the silence falling once more.

"About what I was saying," Cutting through the muteness as quickly as he could, Gohan wanted to say what was on his mind before he lost his nerve. "I had all last night to think about it, and I feel I owe you an apology for what I said yesterday."

Chi-Chi blinked in confusion; was her son apologizing to her? After everything he'd said the previous day?

"I'm not going to lie to you and say it was entirely uncalled for. Seven years I've had to live with my shame of knowing that I've caused my father to die in a way that didn't befit him at all. Every time I've closed my eyes I see his proud smile vanish before my outstretched hand, telling me goodbye. Having his name so casually brought up has reopened that wound and callously sealed back up, making it sore for years that I've lately been finding it hard to stand hearing you speak." Having had the entire previous night to mull over his argument with his mother, Gohan had decided that while what he said had their points, really shouldn't have approached it the way he did. "But after all these years, even when I had finally vented out my feelings, I had no satisfaction. I had no right to speak to you in that way. You had been having trouble coping, just as I have, and you had no idea how to handle it. I'm sorry for not being more understanding to you or realizing how much hurt you've been feeling as well. I'm sorry, Mom."

Chi-Chi couldn't help but feel shocked. Gohan, after everything he had said to her the day before, was now apologizing to her. "Oh, Gohan," The woman's voice was soft, motherly even; a tone Gohan hadn't heard from Chi-Chi in a great many years — not since Goten was born, in fact. "It means a lot to hear you say that, but you're right, what you said wasn't uncalled for. I did a lot of thinking last night as well, and I know I put you through more than I should have when you were growing up. And watching your father die couldn't have made it any better. I put both of you boys through a lot, and I can't go back and change any of it, I know that. But I _can _start making it better for you two now."

Chi-Chi let out a heavy breath; she knew she had to let go of her son, starting now. He was growing older, and if she didn't stop being overprotective right now, she would damage him in the future. "You're meeting up with your classmate again, aren't you?" She changed tack at the drop of a hat, and Gohan flinched instinctively. What was she about to say?

"Why don't you bring her up to meet Goten and myself?" A kind smile stretched across Chi-Chi's face, and the uncomfortable atmosphere melted on the spot. "She can have lunch with us, and I'll get to see just what she's like."

"Thanks, Mom!" Gohan smiled wide, unable to believe this. Not only had he and his mother made up, she actually wanted to meet Erasa.

* * *

"Are you being serious, Gohan?" Erasa was speaking through the phone located in the cockpit of her hovercraft, having called Gohan only moments earlier so he would know she was on her way. "Your mother actually wants me to come up to the house?"

"_Erasa, this is the fifth time you've asked me that, and the answer hasn't changed within the last minute,_" Gohan's familiar, nonchalant laughter ringing through the receiver located on the dashboard. "_I can't believe it myself, but she really wants to meet you!_"

"Are you sure?" Erasa repeated her interrogation, refusing to believe, after all she'd heard, that Chi-Chi would actually allow her to step within even five feet of her home. "I'm still just so dumbfounded by this..."

"_I told you, it's alright!_" Gohan assured her quickly. "_That's the sixth time and counting, Erasa. You'll believe me only when you get here!_"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Erasa agreed. "I'm almost there, so I'll see you when I arrive!" She pressed the button to end her call, unable to stop herself from smiling. Chi-Chi actually wanted to meet her...despite everything she'd heard about this woman, Gohan had somehow convinced his mother to meet her. "_Please, please like me..._" Erasa thought to herself, desperately hoping Chi-Chi wouldn't disapprove of her in some way.

* * *

The half-dome Son Residence came into view just over the hood of her hovercraft. She'd never truly gotten to see it in person before; rubbing her eyes, she noted it was actually about what she expected. A humble home in the middle of the mountains suited Gohan very well. Peering out of the bubble-shield, she saw there was no landing space, but Gohan was standing on the ground waiting for her, waving towards an open spot right in front of the house.

With Gohan acting as marshal, the hovercraft thrummed down to the grassy field, gently clanking to a perfect landing. With the crisp clicking of gears, the bubble shaped shield pulled back, allowing Erasa to make a agile jump down to the soft soil in front of her aircraft. As she had come originally to continue training, Erasa's attire was fairly light; a navy blue jacket, worn over a green undershirt that pooled out from underneath, as well as cycling tights which matched the jacket in colour, and dark blue sneakers.

Gohan, unconsciously, appreciated the sharp contrast to Erasa's school-clothes and casual attire — though he had the distinct feeling that Erasa could look good no matter what she was wearing.

The two ran over to greet each other, smiles wide on their faces. Upon closer inspection, Gohan saw faint bags under Erasa's eyes — a clear indication of a lack of sleep. "Hey Erasa, are you alright?" He inquired, concerned. "It doesn't look like you slept much at all."

"Don't worry about it," Erasa replied through a barely stifled yawn. "It wasn't much, I'm in better shape than Videl — I think her vigilante duties, schoolwork, and training are all starting to collapse in on her." Despite her exhausted state, she looked cheerful and her face was brimming with energy. "Let me show you why I look so beat."

The latter statement perked Gohan's interest. "Go on, I'm eager to see!"

Erasa cupped both her hands in front of her body, and, with a soft flash, a spiraling sphere of bright white _ki_ energy formed in her palms. She smiled, looking over at Gohan expectantly. "Isn't it amazing? I stayed up all night practicing this, Gohan! And now I can do it within seconds!"

"Erasa, that's amazing!" Gohan was impressed and even a little surprised by Erasa's progress. For a human to have come this far with _ki_ training in just a day was unheard of — with the possible exception of his father's friend, Yamcha, who Gohan had heard started from swordsmanship before progressing to _ki_ as a young adult. "I've never seen anyone progress so far; you're a natural talent!"

Closing her hands, she compressed the sphere until it vanished, a victorious smile crossing her face. Staying up all night had been a success after all. Even better, he seemed absolutely impressed. "_Now if his mother can just react the same way_." She thought, a nervous chuckle escaping her lips. "Thanks, Gohan! Now..." She cast her eyes towards the wooden front door of the Son residence.

"Are you nervous?" Gohan inquired, despite the answer being obvious.

"If only a little," Erasa replied, her voice unsure. "Given everything you've said, your mother seems like a very imposing woman. I'm not sure how well she's going to take to me, actually." It was a strange tense feeling she couldn't shake; she could feel her heart pounding away, and a bead of sweat dripped down her face.

"Don't worry," Gohan replied, placing his hand very gently on her shoulder in an encouraging manner. "My mother, for all her ups and downs, is a good person when you get to know her. And I know you'll be fine, so, let's go greet her." Whether Erasa — or even Gohan himself — was ready for this moment was irrelevant now; Gohan pulled the wooden door to his home open as gently as possible to avoid snapping the hinges.

"Mom, she's here!" Gohan called out to his mother as Erasa kicked her shoes off at the door.

"She is?" The voice of Chi-Chi rang from the kitchen, and Gohan's careful ears could excited trepidation behind Chi-Chi's tone. It appeared every individual present was worried this little gathering might backfire in some way.

"Goten, come over here to meet our guest," Chi-Chi called upstairs as she walked into the living room, drying her hands on a white cloth which she quickly stowed inside her apron. The younger brother had been called back for lunch and was currently playing in his room.

"_So this is Chi-Chi._" Erasa thought nervously, her sapphire orbs scanned Chi-Chi over, and a quick look told her everything she needed to know. This woman was the spitting image of a housewife, and yet she had a powerful presence around her that was complimented by her beautiful pale skin and ebony hair. In fact, Erasa noted she could see quite a bit of resemblance between mother and son, despite the different genders and body build.

"H-hello, Mrs. Chi-Chi," Erasa stumbled through a very awkward greeting, and her face flushed crimson as a result of her embarrassment.

"_I can definitely see why Gohan has a thing for her,_" Chi-Chi thought, scanning over Erasa similarly to how Erasa had analyzed her. "_Blonde hair, athletic build...she almost reminds me of myself when I was younger._" Chi-Chi smiled warmly, half in response to Erasa's endearing greeting, and half due to remembering herself and Goku when they were younger. Decided she approved of Erasa, Chi-Chi extended a welcoming hand to Erasa, who took it in surprise.

"It's very nice to meet you, Erasa," The housewife replied warmly, and both Gohan and Erasa relaxed, all tension vanishing. "And please, don't be so formal. Call me Chi-Chi. I trust you're taking good care of my son?"

"Of course," Erasa replied confidently, feeling much more at ease now that Chi-Chi seemed to be accepting her. "Gohan is in completely safe hands with me."

"That's good to hear," The older woman smiled, pleased with this answer. "Come on, we'll take more during lunch. GOTEN, COME ON OUT HERE!" Her cheerful demeanor quickly switched to stern mother the moment she had to tell Goten what to do for a second time.

* * *

Lunch at the Son household was a new experience for Erasa. Having lived in a city all her life, she was surprised the moment she saw the Son siblings setting the wooden table that Gohan had placed almost directly outside of the half-dome dwelling. While Gohan and his mother went about setting out trays of food, Erasa and Goten hit it off almost instantly, the boy's childishly adorable disposition winning her over immediately.

"Thank you for inviting me to lunch, Chi-Chi," Erasa confessed, only realizing just how hungry she was when she saw the food that had been placed onto the table; bowls of rice, platters of grilled fish, deep fried pork, as well as assorted vegetables. It appeared the Son family really enjoyed to eat meat.

"I'm glad to have over, so don't mention it," Chi-Chi replied casually, doling out rice into her own bowl. While her sons eagerly began to eat — so much like their father when it came to food — Chi-Chi decided to strike up conversation with Erasa. The more she could learn about this girl, the better.

"So, how's your home life?" The elderly woman asked casually. "What do your parents do for a living?"

Erasa blinked, the question taking her by surprise. She hadn't expected to be interrogated by Chi-Chi, but she supposed answering her questions wouldn't hurt — besides, nothing the ebony-haired woman had asked was anything Gohan didn't already know.

"I'm an only child, and I live with my father," The blonde girl explained, talking amid the sounds of Goten and Gohan devouring food. "My mother died seven years ago, before I started high school. Ever since then, it's just been Dad and myself."

Chi-Chi's hand shot up towards her mouth, stifling a sympathetic gasp that escaped it. "I-I'm sorry to hear that," The woman immediately offered her condolences to the younger girl. "I shouldn't have pried."

"No, don't worry about it," Erasa insisted, not wanting Chi-Chi to get uncomfortable so quickly. "It's been a few years already, and ever telling Gohan about this, I'm actually getting a little better at talking about it."

While it was obvious to Gohan that Erasa was still not truly comfortable mentioning her mother's death, he did take notice that she was in fact improving. The awkward silence that had plagued them both only a few weeks prior at the very mention of their dead parents had not manifested itself here.

"My father works in an office regulating booking and numbers for the Office Supplies Company," Erasa carried on. "He's the overseeing manager of his office, so he actually makes enough money to keep us afloat. We're not rich but he works hard enough that we can live in Satan City's better districts and our house has quite a few luxuries." Erasa smiled to herself, thinking of just how hard her father truly does work to provide for both of them.

Chi-Chi couldn't help but smile as well. For everything she'd said to Gohan — and she was now internally apologizing for every insult — it appeared her son had latched himself onto a very dependable and well adjusted girl. "And what about you, Erasa? What do you do in your spare time?"

"Me?" The blonde girl's azure orbs widened, a tad surprised at an additional question, but she nevertheless went on to make an answer. "My focus is athletics and sports. I'm a member at a gym, and at school I'm in several athletic clubs this semester. In fact I'm on the swim team right now. I guess you could call me the athletic type."

"Oho, an active girl," Chi-Chi's approval of Erasa was only furthering itself with every detail the girl spoke. "That's good, you're going to need energy to keep up with Gohan."

"Oh, I know," Erasa replied, giggling, and the two women started to laugh, causing Gohan to wonder if he was the butt of some joke only these two could understand.

"Is Erasa the girl Gohan is kissy-kissy with?" Gohan asked innocently, while still shoveling food into his mouth in a manner characteristic of Goku.

The reaction to such an innocent sentence was astounding. Gohan, who had been eating a healthy portion of rice, immediately spewed half-chewed food at rocket speed in the direction of his little brother in shock. Erasa, on the other hand, began to cough furiously, having inhaled a small piece of food in surprise.

"Goten!" Gohan sputtered, wiping rice from his chin.

"I-it's not like that yet!" Erasa rasped, her breathing uneven. Completely missing the last word, she felt that her face had flushed crimson once more. Why was she so vehemently in denying such an accusation? Certainly it wouldn't be bad, would it...?

Wiping his face of the spewed rice, Goten continued to press the two, oblivious to his innocent insensitivity. "If it's not that yet, will it be that soon? Are you going to be my new sister?"

"Goten, that's enough, don't pester them," Chi-Chi reprimanded her youngest son, causing Goten to silence himself. Erasa and Gohan breathed a sigh of relief, now that the awkward questioning was over. Chi-Chi, on the other hand, felt a smile slide onto her face. "_They're so awkward together. It truly does remind me of myself and Goku in our younger years. But, I suppose that's how all cute couples start._" Satisfied with this thought, the mother watched as a normal atmosphere settled again around the table.

* * *

"Learning to fly isn't that difficult, especially now that you've got a handle on controlling _ki_," Gohan explained, he and Erasa sitting down on the grass in their familiar spot. Lunch had ended rather successfully, and Chi-Chi had agreed to let the teenagers have their alone time while Goten mentioned going to meet up with Trunks, who wanted to show him something "cool".

"I can handle it, easy or difficult," The blonde girl clenched her fists at her sides, a look of firm determination on her face.

"I know you can," Gohan chuckled, finding Erasa's confidence to be an admirable trait. It was one of Erasa's many positive traits, that she seemed unable to back down in the face of adversity. Gohan definitely liked that about her. "Let's stand up. You'll need to for this."

Erasa followed his instructions, clambering to feet, showing slightly more difficulty than Gohan, who seemed to leap into an upright possession easily.

"As I said, learning to fly is a lot more simple than it sounds, and when you get a handle on flying, using _ki_ for other purposes will all be second nature to you," Gohan explained, justifying fairly quickly why he was trying to teach Erasa to fly before anything else. "Tell me, what was the first thing you noticed about the _ki_ sphere you created yesterday?"

"Um..." Erasa fumbled over an answer in her head. The first thing she remembered was the warmth of the _ki_ energy as it spread throughout her body; almost like a bath set at just the right temperature. But she had a suspicion that this wasn't the correct answer. "If I had to guess...it was self-sustaining, right? After I generated the sphere, I didn't need to focus on it to actively maintain it, and I didn't need to apply any more energy to it other than the amount I'd used to create it in the first place."

"That's dead-on!" Gohan's tone praised her intuition; he hadn't expected to guess it correctly, though he supposed her practice last night had given her some understanding of exactly how the sphere worked. Pleasant surprise changing to satisfaction, he knew it would easier to explain from here.

"Flying is going to be a bit more difficult than simply creating a sphere of _ki_," Gohan carried on, Erasa listening intently. "In creating the sphere of _ki_, you only need to draw out a finite amount of _ki_ and give it shape. It's a basic introductory lesson to the art of _ki_ control.

"However, in order to fly, the process is going to be a bit tricky," Gohan knew this would be the critical moment of explanation. "The general explanation is that you simply take your _ki_, and place it underneath you, and doing this holds you up. But there's a bit more to it than just that."

"_That explanation sounded simple enough,_" Erasa thought to herself. "_How can that be tricky?_"

"To fly, you'll need to pull the _ki_ from the center of your body, and then a constant amount of _ki_ from the soles of your feet; this requires precise, exact control," Gohan continued on as Erasa hung onto his every word. "You can't release too much or too little, only the exact amount required to make you float. The flight technique will refine your control of _ki_ to the point that you can use only the exact amount needed with other techniques, and with enough practice, releasing the proper amount to float above the ground and fly through the air becomes second nature."

"Now I see what you mean," Erasa chuckled. The basic explanation of placing _ki_ underneath oneself sounded easy enough, however, the necessary control needed to maintain flight was where Erasa knew she was going to have a few issues.

"I've got a way to make it easier on you," The hybrid helpfully offered. "As opposed to simply standing in one spot and willing your feet to lift you up, it might be better to take baby-steps into the process. This will be another lesson in _ki_ control, similar to the sphere formation. From the center of your body, gather your ki, and disperse it throughout the rest of your body — focus it into your limbs — imbuing your muscles with your own latent energy."

Gohan stood straight, with his arms at his sides and legs together. "As the energy spreads through your body, perform simple jumping jacks." He jumped into the air, moving both legs outward and raising his arms above his head, jettisoning ki from his feet to ensure the highest leap. Floating softly in the air, he called down to Erasa, "At the moment you make a leap, expel your_ki_ from your feet, and try to gain altitude. Remember, not too much, or you may lose your balance entirely. Too little and you won't go anywhere." He descended neatly to the ground as Erasa watched in amazement, eyes wide.

"That was...amazing! But isn't jumping jacks a bit of an odd way to introduce someone to flight?" Erasa inquired, confused. While she had to admit, Gohan made it look cool, jumping jacks didn't seem very effective at learning to fly. It honestly reminded her of something a buffoon would do, trying to flap their arms as if they could fly.

"It may seem like that at first, but you'll soon find there's a bit more technique to employing this method than simply waiting around," Gohan's casual explanation was enough to give Erasa a confidence booster. He'd been doing this for years now, so he had to know what he was talking about.

"Alright! I'll give it my best!" The blonde girl replied confidently.

* * *

And thus, Erasa's training to master _Bukūjutsu _— the art of flying. Unsurprising, Erasa found that emitting a set amount of _ki_from her body was proving to be very difficult. Several tries afforded her no results; she simply looked like a high school girl performing jumping jacks in her free time.

Dragging the _ki_ from it's origin in the center of her body wasn't an issue for Erasa by this point; she knew very well how to find it, and the sensation of pulling it out. Getting the amount to be just what she needed to float, however, was proving far more difficult than she'd hoped.

"I can't give you any advice for that," Gohan explained when Erasa had asked Gohan exactly how much _ki_ she would need to get off the ground. "The _ki _needs to be able to match the weight of your body, so the amount of _ki_ needed to fly is going to differ for every person who uses the technique. You simply need to remember the feeling of the first time you lift off the ground; commit to memory and replicate it!"

Taking this to heart, Erasa began to performing jumping jacks once more, concentrating on the _ki_ within her body, steadily trying to increase the amount she'd need to become airborne. For nearly half an hour, nothing truly eventful happened. Erasa had managed to expel slightly more _ki_ than before, however, the end result was barely enough to take her an inch off the ground — and unable to control herself in this brief weightless state, Erasa felt herself wobbling and she fell backwards...right into the arms of Gohan, who, smiling, had reacted with lightning speed to prevent Erasa from falling on her rear.

"Are you alright?" Gohan asked, his voice concerned despite the amused smile that crept across his face.

"Y-yeah..." Erasa panted, the shock of the fall leaving her short of breath. The proximity of Gohan's body to her own, especially in this scenario — the second time he'd saved her from some form of injury — caused the young woman's face to flush pink in the cheeks. "Let me try again, I'll get it right this time!"

"Alright, but don't stress yourself," Gohan urged her, helping her up and moving off to the side, resuming his position as overseer. "_That was actually a really close attempt. I didn't expect her to get the handle controlling her own ki in such a short amount of time..._" He watched Erasa with proud eyes as he kept a close watch on her physical form and the _ki_ she was using through his ability to sense _ki_. Remembering his childhood, Gohan knew that it took even him much longer than this to get a handle on_ki_ control; admittedly, he wasn't much to speak of as a child, and most of the time he should have spent learning _ki_ was wasted crying for Piccolo to come save him.

"_I wonder how Piccolo is doing...?_" Gohan thought to himself as he shrugged off that last memory and internally snarked that Erasa was quite lucky not to have asked the Namekian to give her lessons.

Stopping to steady her breath, Erasa drew _ki_ from the center of her body, whilst performing the movements for the jumping jacks. She spread the _ki_ throughout her body, feeling new strength flow through her muscles. Making her leap, Erasa forced ki down through her feet, however, she made one critical error; she overdid it, expelling more energy than she'd intended.

"Whoooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" She cried as she felt herself rocket upward, wind pressured bearing down on her body with immense force, but the speed at which she shot upward, much like a champagne cork, ignored it entirely.

"Erasa!" Gohan reacted like a snake striking prey; the moment he saw Erasa violently rocket upwards, he immediately lifted himself from the ground, dashing straight past Erasa, floating far above her in the sky. He had to forcibly suppress the urge to catch her body — a sudden stop from moving at such speed could end in Erasa's death — and he thrust his hands forward, releasing an invisible, multi-layered barrier of sparse ki to impede, but not stop, Erasa's progress.

The girl felt herself collide with an invisible cushion, breaking through before she collided with several more, feeling her body gradually slow down to a more reasonable pace, until she could barely feel the air pressure on her body. It was then that Gohan made his move, deftly catching the girl and descended to the ground.

The blonde chuckled weakly in Gohan's arms, and, trying to ignore the fact that she was firmly pressed against Gohan's chest, she looked up into the worried eyes of the Saiyan-Human hybrid. "H-hey, I technically made myself airborne this time!" She quipped, trying to assuage the boy's worries.

Gohan's face relaxed, letting out a weak laugh of his own. "You nearly die, and you make a joke about it...what am I going to do with you?"

* * *

Several hours had since passed after Erasa's mishap. The fiery red orb that hung in the sky was descending low over the horizon, dyeing the once-blue sky a brilliant mixture of red and orange, that settled into a dim mauve in the far horizon as the time escaped both of the teenagers on the sun-dyed grass below.

These several hours, however, had not been wasted. Erasa's perseverance and faith in her own abilities, as well as Gohan's careful guidance and monitoring of her progress, had paid off in a very big way.

Erasa was floating several inches off the ground. With a wide grin, she was truly defying gravity, and, while not in a true state of weightlessness, was capable of maintaining it fairly well for someone who'd only succeeded not five minutes ago.

"You did it!" Gohan crowed excitedly, a wide grin on his face at the sight of Erasa's success. "You're actually floating!"

"G-Gohan, let me concentrate!" Erasa replied sharply, her grin fading as the distraction of Gohan's voice nearly caused her to stop releasing _ki_ from the soles of her feet. Breathing heavily, she slowly lowered the amount of _ki_ she released, and in doing so, lowered herself steadily until she touched the ground. "Whew...!" She wiped the sweat from her brow, appearing as if she'd just run a mile.

"Erasa, that was amazing!" Gohan was seemingly unaware of being reprimanded by the blonde haired girl, continued to yammer on in his excitement. "If you keep making steady progress like this, you'll be flying in no-time flat. Just remember the feeling you had; apply that amount of energy again, and this shouldn't be a problem for you!"

"That feeling..." Erasa tried to remember the feeling of floating; the _ki_ she'd released from her feet felt similar to the sphere she'd generated from before, but different; a kind of calm euphoria. "I'll remember it!" As she looked at the sky, and the brilliant setting sun, Erasa only just realized how late it was getting.

"I really should be getting home, Gohan," The blonde girl said, with an edge of disappointment in her voice. She wasn't eager to leave, but her father would get worried if she wasn't home soon. And worse, the duo's next week of school began the following day — this might seriously dampen their training. Pulling out her case of Hoi-Poi capsules, she rummaged around in it, pulling out capsule number 3. Tossing it casually, it exploded with a large puff of smoke into Erasa's familiar jet flier.

"'I'll pick you up for school tomorrow," Gohan replied, still brimming with excitement.

"Don't be late!" Erasa called back as the bubble-shield pulled back, allowing Erasa to leap into the cockpit, closing the shield once more. Smiling to herself at just how eventual and positive her day had been, she waved at Gohan as the vehicle rose into the air, before flying off and out of sight, leaving the hybrid alone in the sunset.

* * *

**A/N: **_Whoo boy. This chapter took longer to put out than I like; over two weeks, in fact. One thing I really hope my readers take to heart is that it's not the speed in which the chapter is produced, but the content within the chapter that matters. This chapter may have taken less time to put out, had I not been playing a few games I borrowed from a friend of mine and would really like to return at some point in the near future._

I really hope everyone enjoys this chapter; I did like writing it, even though the delay was too long. Gohan and Chi-Chi apologizing was a fairly difficult scene, because (and this runs in my family), I have issues apologizing myself. I don't like to be wrong, or to admit that I am wrong, so it was as difficult for me to write the apologies as it was for Gohan and Chi-Chi to say them.

Stay tuned, everyone, for the next exciting chapter of The Erased Chronicles. I've got a bit in store to make the next chapter for more eventful than this one! And, as always, let's thank my friend Demod20, who is a big help in both brainstorming and proofreading!


	7. The Game Changer

"Alright Mom!" Gohan was already dashing towards the door, slinging his book-bag over his shoulder, comically slipping on his shoes as he gingerly opened the door and felt the crisp morning air fill his nostrils. "I'm heading off to school."

"Alright honey!" Chi-Chi called out to her son from the kitchen, where she was doing dishes. "Have a good day at school, and tell Erasa I said hello!"

"I will!" Gohan called back, smiling to himself at Chi-Chi's change in attitude. "Kinto'un!" His cry echoed throughout the mountains, and the Somersault Cloud came pelting his way, settling down onto the ground. Gohan clambered aboard his father's heirloom cloud, and it rose into the air, before taking off with a resounding sonic boom, tearing off above the treetops.

"_To think Mom would be so accepting of Erasa..._" Gohan was smiling broadly as Kinto'un flew full pelt towards Satan City. "_I was surprised that they both seemed to hit it off at dinner, even with Goten's impromptu interruption_." Gohan chuckled weakly as he remembered his younger brother's precocious behaviour.

Gohan had to admit, he wasn't looking forward to returning to school. It wasn't the typical teenage reasoning — slothful behaviour and the like — but simply because it cut into his time to spend with Erasa, and it also cut right into her training. Though, he couldn't help but appreciate the fact that this would give him some casual time to spend with her that they couldn't always get focusing on her training.

As the familiar skyline of Satan City loomed over the horizon, Gohan took the return of school as a positive situation. Little did he know his comfortable life would be interrupted by the events to unfold today.

* * *

"So, do you think Videl is going to actually make it to class today?" Erasa posed the question to Gohan as they two were making their way from the lockers to their classroom. As was their usual, Gohan had picked Erasa up on the Kinto'un and they came to school through the rooftop. It was only now — after they'd exchanged their hellos and finished their own catching up after only a night of being apart — that the topic of Videl was approached.

"Videl?" Gohan blinked in obvious confusion at Erasa. "Oh, that's right, she _has_ been skiving off classes, and you did mention yesterday she seemed to be running herself ragged." One couldn't blame Gohan for having Videl slip his mind; the girl was Erasa's friend, not his, and everytime they even met each other in the halls, the daughter of Mr. Satan made her dislike very apparent for Gohan by staring daggers at him. He'd made a point to avoid the girl by now.

"Yeah, I'm actually starting to get worried," Erasa's forehead creased in stress; she really was worried for her friend's well being. "I think she might be overexerting herself, trying to do schoolwork, helping the police, and keeping up her training all at the same time. It has to be taking a toll on her..."

"There's no need to be worried," The Saiyan-Human hybrid tried to reassure her. "Videl's tough, if nothing else. I'm sure she's doing fine." Gohan naturally had know way to know this, but he did know Videl wasn't one to quit without some kind of stubborn resistance.

"You're right," Erasa agreed, exhaling a sigh of relief at Gohan's comforting words. "Videl's tough as nails."

The two made it to Classroom 3B, and the first thing that caught both their eyes was that Sharpener sat alone; Gohan and Erasa had yet to file into their own seats, and Videl hadn't yet arrived. Erasa shot Gohan a look, but the two didn't say anything yet. Erasa hid her worry as they made their way to their seats.

"Hey Sharpener, have you seen Videl?" Erasa quickly asked Sharpener the whereabouts of her friend, taking the blonde-haired boy by surprise.

"Actually, no," He replied with a simple shrug of the shoulders. "She's been looking pretty worn down lately, after all; she's even been skipping classes and doing her homework and other assignments by correspondence. She's probably been buckling down on her hero duties ever since the Golden Warrior has been making those regular appearances."

"_If I let some cocky vigilante steal the spotlight, not only will I forever be stuck in my father's shadow, but I might not even be able to save the stragglers that the Golden Warrior overlooks, or is just plain careless with! Just you wait — when he and I meet again, face to face, I'll show him who the real hero of Satan City is!_"

Erasa remembered Videl's firm determination when they'd met up for a practice match just the other weekend, but she didn't think the girl would go so far just to prove her point. "Videl..."

Mr. Fahcolty entered the classroom, silencing any and all conversation with a sharp clearing of his throat. Satisfied that he could no longer hear Kuzetsu and Jōgen chattering off in the far back corner of the room, he made his way over to his desk. After a quick roll call — in which Videl was marked absent — the overworked instructor turned to his students, "Alright, class, let's begin the lesson..."

As the teacher began his lecture, time seemed to flow by like normal. Questions were asked to the more astute, making examples for those less prone to be vigorous in their studies. Special equations were made on the board and minute classroom activity was given, if not but lift the dreary cloud that passively hangs over the teacher's head.

Before anyone would know it, an hour would pass, and the bell would ring for the class's end.

The class began to pack their bags, stuffing their notes on the ancient philosopher 'Diarrheus' into their bookbags and filed out for the ten-minute break period before their next classes. Erasa and Gohan were lagging behind, however, the former still worried that Videl had missed the first class of the day entirely.

"She really didn't make it to class..." Erasa sighed as the two descended from their seats down to the main platform. "What is she thin-"

Before Erasa could finish her thought, the door slammed open to reveal a slightly gaunt, and very clearly exhausted, Videl. Two weeks of stress and overwork was finally beginning to physically take its toll on the teenage girl; she seemed slightly pale, with dark circles under her eyes, and she even looked a little thinner — though not to an extreme, it simply seemed that weight loss was just now starting.

"Videl!" Erasa cried out as her friend stumbled into the room, still looking very ragged, and carrying a folder in her hand. The ebony-haired girl ignored Erasa, shot Gohan a half-sincere death glare, and made her way over to the teacher.

"Here, Mr. Fahcolty," The girl handed him the folder, her voice slightly horse. "My homework and classwork from the previous week."

The wizened man took the folder, placing it on his desk next to the other assignments he'd collected over the hour long period. "Videl, if you'd like advice, you really should ease up on your responsibilities. Leave the crime fighting to the Golden Fighter and the police; it's plain as day that you're under an immense amount of stress."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Fahcolty," The exhausted girl brushed him off. "I refuse to let that bleached-hair 'hero' wannabe handle everything. We can't trust him, so I'll pick up the slack!" As if on cue, her wristwatch began to beep. "Videl here!" The girl replied, answering.

"_There's two armed robbers in Backpack town!_" The panicked voice of the police officers rang through loud and clear, catching the ears of Gohan and Erasa, as well as Mr. Fahcolty, who looked at Videl with a resigned look on his face. "_We're in pursuit along Route 81, towards the mountains!_"

"I'm on my way!" Videl replied firmly, making a dash for the door. As she made it to the exit, the girl slipped, falling to her knees due to dizziness.

"Videl, rethink this!" Erasa rushed over to her friend frantically, trying to help her up. "You can't fight any crime in your current state! Think about this!"

"Let me go, Erasa!" Videl shouted as she tried to shrug her friend off. But due to the girl's exhausted state, and the side benefits of Erasa's new-found training, gave the blonde a vicegrip on the ebony-tressed girl's shoulders that surprised them both.

"How did you get so strong...?" Videl questioned, with acid in her voice. This would normally be an average question, but Erasa could already detect the suspicious accusation behind it. "It's because of _him_, isn't it?" The blue-eyed girl shot Gohan a look of pure venom that brought to mind the phrase 'if looks could kill'.

"Well, I..." Erasa stammered, loosening her grip as she tried to think of some way out of Videl's accusation.

Her friend, however, shook her off, clambering to her feet and dashing out of the building.

"Videl! Wait!" Erasa called out frantically but Videl disregarded her entirely, vanishing around the corridor. "Videl...why are you doing all of this...?"

Gohan's eyes narrowed in obvious frustration, and he handed his bag to Erasa, who looked at him in surprise.

"Erasa, hold my bag, please. And make up an excuse for me when you get to our next class." He turned back to her, smiling a broad smile full of confidence. "I'm going to go help her, and bring her back. Before she winds up getting killed."

* * *

The sound of police sirens filled the air as two men sped along the highway in their getaway hovercar. Both parties were opening fire on the other, the police desperate to damage the getaway car before the criminals managed to make an escape.

"Stop your car or we'll be forced to shoot!" The officer in the passenger's seat called out the window, aiming his pistol once more and firing three rounds at the trunk of the car.

"Ain't ya already shootin', officer!?" The skinnier of the two criminals shouted back, pulling the trigger to find an empty firearm. "Damn hypocrites..." He grumbled, retreating inside the vehicle again.

"Finish 'em off, Zain!" The larger of the two robbers, a burly man with a completely shaved head and thin moustache, called to his cohort as he made a sharp left turn along the side of the highway.

"I'm on it, Bōmono!" Zain replied, reaching into the back of their car and pulling out a panzerfaust — a pre-loaded, anti-tank weapon — and aiming it directly at the center space between both pursuing cop cars. Squeezing a lever located on the weapon itself, it launched the projectile towards the police. It collided with the highway concrete, exploding violently and taking the cars and police out in a flurry of fire.

"Woohoo!" Zain cheered wildly as he watched the fireworks.

"Huh?" Bōmono's eyes were attracted to the sight of something very odd in the center of the street; a young girl standing in front of a hovercraft embroidered with the bold letters SATAN. He slowed the hovercar down, not out of concern for the girl, but to avoid crashing into the hovercraft parked directly behind her.

"You're in the way, girlie," The muscled man said, stepping out of the vehicle and onto the road. "Step aside, or I'll make you move."

The haggard Videl held up a clanking pair of handcuffs, shooting the man her now trademark death glare. "Put your weapons down now, and put your hands up! Unless you want to get hurt!"

Bōmono chuckled, amused. "Did'ja hear that, Zain? Betty over hear thinks she can take us!"

Zain, however, was no fool, and recognized Videl the instant he'd stepped out of the vehicle. "Bōmono, hold your horses man. I've seen that dame on TV! She's the daughter of Mr. Satan!" His hands shaking slightly, he was holding his pistol towards the girl, poised to kill. "She prides herself a 'hero of justice'."

"Is that right?" Bōmono smirked, giving Videl a quick once-over. "She's a lot cuter 'n her dad. And I do like 'em young."

"Sicko..." Videl hissed, blinking rapidly to keep herself awake. Refusing to believing she was in over her head, the girl cast the handcuffs to the side of the road. "If you want to play it rough, that's a dance for two!" Rushing forward, she leapt into the air, delivering a deliberate, mid-air snap kick to the man's chin, stunning him as it knocked him back and to his knees.

He chuckled, grinning at her and wiping blood from his chin. "Whaddya know? You ain't too bad, kid." His shoulders shaking with his own snickering, he stood up, cracking his knuckles. "But I like the ones with a little fight in 'em. Though I can see, you ain't in no condition to fight me. Why don't you be a good little girl and come with us?"

"Feh!" Videl spat, landing shakily onto the ground, struggling to maintain her balance. "I can easily handle riff-raff like you even in my current state...!" Of course, Videl was never one to properly assess her own condition. Two weeks of nothing but training, vigilante work, and schoolwork with minimal sleep and even skipping meals wasn't good for the human body, and Videl, no matter what she said, wasn't in any state to fight these thugs.

"Keep talkin' big, kid," Bōmono sneered, walking over to the girl with a menacing gate. "I'm going to love shutting that mouth of yours." Before Videl could react, the man slammed his fist directly into her jaw, stunning her and hitting it with enough force to lift her up off the ground.

Saliva flew from Videl's mouth as the blow connected, and she felt a sharp pain in her skull as the thug yanked on her left pigtail to keep her from moving too far, dangling her in the air by her hair like one would hang out laundry to dry. The girl began to flail wildly, but in her weakened state, Bōmono may as well have been getting hit by feathers.

"Alright kid, give it up!" He cried, and forcefully slammed his knee directly into Videl's gut, knocking the wind out of her and forcing her to cough up blood due to the force of the blow. The viscous red fluid dripped down her lips, splashing onto the concrete of the highway. At this point, Videl's body simply gave out; darkness overtook her vision as exhaustion finally set in and the girl entered the void.

"Would ya look at that, the girl finally gave out," Bōmono shook Videl by her hair, earning no response from the fainted girl. "When it comes down to it, the unconscious ones have their appeal as well. Tho' to be honest, I'd love for her to be awake so I could hear her scream."

"Bōmono, you can't be about to do _that _out here?" Zain protested quickly. "We're out in the open and the cops are tailing us! Wouldn't it be better just to take her back and throw her with the rest of the girls you got?"

"It'll be awhile before the cops pull their sorry asses our way," The burly man retorted, and to be fair, he had a point. It had been several minutes now, and no other police vehicles had made any form of pursuit. "This girl made me go through so much effort, I'm going to get some payment in return!" Pinning the unconscious girl to the ground, and it was only now that he properly got a good look at her. "The girl is even dressed to make this easy for me; bike shorts and a t-shirt. I couldn't ask for a better prize." The man pulled at the hem of the black, skintight shorts, whilst simultaneously attempting to undo his belt buckle one-handed.

* * *

**A few minutes earlier...**

"That girl," Gohan grumbled to himself as he made it out of the school building. He had no idea in which direction she'd gone, and given the girl had such a low _ki_ signature, he may as well be searching with his eyes. "_I need to get to a high point, and search for her _ki_from there_."

Ascending to the top of the school, Gohan perched himself on the rooftop, and closed his eyes, searching the area for Videl's_ki_ signature. As he had no idea where Route 81 was, this was the only way he could find her. After a few minutes, he felt a powerful — by human standards — spike of _ki_ in the west.

"There!" Gohan stood up, immediately turning towards the source of the _ki_. Within seconds, he'd transformed into a Super Saiyan, bringing the Golden Warrior back to Satan City. In a burst of golden light, Gohan tore through the skies, finding himself traveling high above the highway. He passed over an utterly destroyed portion of highway, and he knew he was headed in the right direction.

* * *

"_This is horrible..._" He thought to himself, gritting his teeth. Was was with this city and its criminals?

Flying for only a few more seconds finally brought Gohan to the scene of the crime; his eyes quickly took in the scene, with Zain standing off in the background, and Videl, unconscious and pinned to the ground. Bōmono had perched himself on top of the girl, and was in the middle of removing her shorts.

Gohan took one look at the man's face, and an inexplicable feeling of rage came over him. This man's face, his familiar visage, brought back bitter memories of years ago. That horrible fight with the Saiyans who invaded Earth; Nappa and Vegeta.

_"DIE!" The bald, muscular Saiyan cried out as he released a furious blast of white energy towards the cowering Saiyan child. Even though his training had taught him better than this, the boy's age was catching up to him, and he froze up in terror, raising his arms in front of face as if to shield himself. The ground trembled as Gohan's vision became nearly enveloped in a flash of white._

_He was going to die. _

_But then, faster than he could see, a shadow appeared in front of him, obscuring the light almost entirely. Gohan's eyes widened in shock. It was his beloved teacher, Mr. Piccolo. _

_A bloodcurdling, guttural scream filled the air as Piccolo threw his body in front of Gohan as a shield; the energy blast collided with the Namekian, ripping into his flesh as his screams filled the air, shocking everyone present. An explosion of pure white energy enveloped the scene, causing the ground to quake even further as dust billowed from ground zero._

_The Saiyan, Nappa was visibly panting, having exhausted most of his ki reserves in the effort to finish off one half-blood child. Firmly believing them to be dead, he smirked to himself, content with his work. However, the smoke cleared, to reveal a thoroughly beaten and battered Piccolo, still standing in front of Gohan with every intention of keeping the child of his worst enemy alive and well. _

_"P-P-P-Piccolo!?" Gohan stammered, confused as to why the man who was supposed to be so strong stood before him, a dead man walking. _

_"It's...okay kid...no sweat..." The Namekian grunted, heaving with every breath as pain rocked his body. Chuckling to himself, he suddenly felt his body give way as every organ collapsed under the pressure and he fell to the ground, unable to move a muscle._

* * *

This moment; who would have thought it would haunt Gohan well into his teenage years.

The time the ruthless Saiyan Nappa had killed his teacher in cold blood. And yet here that man stood before him, alive and well. Could that even be possible? With a face of fury, Gohan descended to the concrete. The gentle click of his shoes against the ground, as well as the obvious descent of a teenage boy from midair, caught the attention of the two thugs.

"You..." Gohan's emerald eyes shot a piercing glare directly at Bōmono.

"What?" Bōmono looked at Gohan as if the boy was out of his mind. Stopping himself in his tracks, he took his hands off Videl — whose shorts were mercifully on her body, Gohan, it seemed, had arrived at just the right moment — and stood up, glaring at the Super Saiyan. "Who the hell are you? You got a death wish, kid?"

The visage of Nappa, clad in Saiyan armor, crossed Gohan's eyes, merging with the appearance of the thug as his clenched his fists in anger. His golden aura ignited, gentle flames turning into a furious blaze of golden light. When Gohan spoke, it was less of his normal, soft voice, and instead a very audible snarl that escaped his throat. "How could I forget...that evil face of yours!?"

"B-B-B-Bōmono!" Zain was trembling with fear at the sight of the positively enraged Gohan. "That's the Golden Warrior! Get off the girl and let's bail, now!"

Bōmono turned towards Zain, eyes wide in shock and fear. "What!? The Golden Warrior!? There's no way that can be right!"

As if the final words were the removal of a cork, Gohan felt rage surge through his body. "Never again...I won't let you hurt anyone else...EVER AGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN!" His aura flaring further, causing the air and highway to quake under the pressure. He'd crossed the distance between himself and Bōmono within seconds, almost as if he simply materialized there with a fist raised, primed to strike.

"N-N-N-N-NO, WAIT!" The man called out in a frantic plea. "Please! Mercy!"

_Mercy_. The word that stopped the Super Saiyan dead in his tracks. His father, even after all Nappa had done, didn't kill the man, even after crippling him; his fist halted just shy of connecting with Bōmono, but the force he exterted on the wind sent a focused concussive wave of pure wind pressure into the thug's face, shattering his jaw and sending him headlong towards Zain, knocking both men out with an audible crash.

"What was I about to...?" Gohan blinked rapidly, steadying himself. He'd almost killed a human, and over what? His own repressed issues? He let out a quivering sigh; it had been a long time since he'd ever felt emotional unrest as a Full-Powered Super Saiyan. It was only then that he remembered Videl, unconscious on the highway road.

"_You should have listened to Erasa..._" Gohan thought to himself as he picked the girl up and propped her up against her own hovercraft. He'd take her back to the school's nurse's office, but his ears could detect oncoming sirens, and knew the officer's back-up would arrive and it would be best that Videl be taken to a proper hospital.

* * *

During the following week, Videl's injury in her latest vigilante escapade was kept a hushed secret — which of course, meant that in a high school of talkative, inquisitive teenagers, the entire student body knew about it by the end of the following day.

It became the talk of the school, and the teaching staff, including a poor Mr. Fahcolty, had trouble getting their students to focus on the tasks at hand. Some of them — again, like poor Mr. Fahcolty — simply surrendered control of their classes to the gibbering oafs they called students, while other teachers took far more drastic measures in discipline.

Due to their new-found freedom in class, Erasa and Gohan had plenty of time to talk about Videl's current condition. Videl was being kept in the hospital wing that Mr. Satan had built into his mansion for such an occasion; she received constant visits from her very worried father, showing he had at least one redeemable quality.

"I told her she shouldn't have gone..." Erasa bit her thumb nail nervously. While Erasa knew Videl was certainly getting the best medical care possible, she couldn't help but worry. Videl had always been stubborn and eager to get in over her head — Erasa recalled a time when the girls were four and Videl had gotten into a scuffle with a large dog — but the blonde had hoped Videl would have learned to gauge her own capabilities.

It would appeared that would never be the case.

"Gohan," Erasa said softly, deliberately avoiding Sharpener's range of hearing. "I don't want this to happen to Videl again. What if you'd gotten there too late? Or something worse had happened? I want to continue our training, and I want to get stronger. So I can protect Videl, in case something like this happens again." She slipped her smooth, thin hands into Gohan's, gripping them tightly, her sapphire eyes meeting his onyx ones. "I want to keep her safe, Gohan."

Squeezing her hand gently in return, Gohan was at a loss for words. While blushing slightly due to the close proximity of the girl, seeing Erasa's determination took him back to his own childhood; back when he was so eager to train with his father and Piccolo. How he'd beg his mother to let him train and participate in the battles his father was in; to be able to do his part for their planet. And now he realised Erasa shared his spirit, the urge to protect those you love, that feeling that you _had_ to get stronger.

"I know," Gohan replied firmly.

* * *

It only took five days for Videl to recover enough to be able to walk and attend classes again, due to the wonders of modern medicine.

Within this week, Gohan and Erasa had nearly doubled their training. While they'd initially resolved to train on the weekends only, Erasa's new resolve to protect Videl had caused them to balance their schoolwork and training in the evenings. To compensate for this, Gohan would often assist Erasa in her assignments, a simple task as the coursework was easier for him to finish than other students.

With their homework out of the way, the two teenagers would practice flight in the evening, before the sun set, until the weekend finally set in and they had an entire two days to themselves. Buckling down on both Saturday and Sunday, the couples' efforts paid off; Erasa was no average talent, and by Sunday evening, she was flying freely through the air.

"You've done it!" Gohan cried, lifting himself off the ground and into the air after Erasa, who began to perform spiraling loops as she crowed with laughter.

"I'm flying, Gohan! I'm flying!" She was laughing and cheering like a small child; the feeling of flight was everything she'd imagined it to be. Uplifting, and so very freeing, she almost didn't want to touch down to the ground again. Seeing Gohan was following after her, Erasa turned, barreling straight towards Gohan, hugging him earnestly; an action which Gohan reciprocated.

"You really did it, Erasa," Gohan replied, smiling widely. "In only a week, you managed to fly. That's so remarkable I should be stunned speechless!"

"I can't believe it," The blonde girl replied, her azure orbs brimming with excitement. Then, as if losing herself in the euphoria, Erasa's lips met Gohan, kissing him deeply as she threw her arms around his neck. It took Gohan all of five seconds to process what was happening; the warm feeling of her lips, her body pressed against his; the shock quickly changed to elation as he responded with equal fervor.

Completely oblivious to their surroundings, the two began an unconscious descent to the ground, both of them still locking lips; Gohan pulled Erasa closer to himself as the kiss deepened. It was only when the two made contact with the Earth again that they were brought back to reality and they pulled apart, blushing deep crimson.

"I...guess we can't really say there's nothing between us anymore, can we?" Gohan asked quietly. In spite of everything, he felt very pleased with himself, and with this new development.

"I don't see that as a bad thing, to be honest," Erasa replied, scratching her cheek nervously. She hadn't expected this to happen, not at all, and to make it even more embarrassing, she'd simply thrown herself as Gohan. But when she looked at him, she saw he wasn't unhappy in the slightest, and a feeling of joy shot through her entire being.

"I guess the only question now is," Erasa began, her joy being replaced with dread.

"Is how you confront Videl with this." Gohan finished, realizing their new predicament.

Little did either of them know, the source of their predicament was watching from a hillside. Videl, after her week's rest in the hospital, had plenty of time to deliberate on what her next move should be when concerning Gohan and Erasa. While she didn't know the details entirely, she knew it had to have been Gohan — the Golden Warrior — who saved her. He was the only one who knew where she'd have been at the time, and could have caused that much damage to a normal person alone.

So she did what anyone in her situation would do; researched Gohan's home address in the student registry and followed Erasa to his house to spy on her friend's meetings with Gohan. And unfortunately for the two of them, Videl had witnessed the entire kiss through a pair of binoculars. Albeit bandaged, with one arm in a cast, Videl managed to utterly crush the binocular pair in her working hand, the plastic and glass cutting into her hand as she grit her teeth in frustration.

"Son Gohan..." The girl growled to herself, her face red with anger.

* * *

**The Following Day**

"Gohan!"

This was the first day that featured a change in Gohan and Erasa's usual morning routine. With her new-found flying abilities, Erasa, first thing in the morning, woke up and flew directly to Gohan's house. Calling out to him when she arrived, Gohan shoved his head out of his bedroom window, wearing just a t-shirt and boxers, seeing the floating figure of Erasa outside.

"Erasa! What are you doing here already, it's not even seven 'o clock!" Gohan called out, and while he tried to sound frustrated, all he could do was smile and laugh at the girl's over-eagerness. "Why don't you land, I'll get dressed and ready!"

Erasa landed neatly onto the ground, blushing slightly to herself due to Gohan's half-dressed state, but kept any comments to herself while she patiently waited in the crisp mountain air for Gohan to come out. Smiling to herself, she reflecting back to their kiss from yesterday — remembering the warm feeling of Gohan's lips on hers — and she wondered; did this change anything between them?

She heard Gohan's voice from inside the house, though what he was saying was muffled by the door, she assumed he was telling Chi-Chi why he was up so early. When she heard the door open, she saw Gohan, now fully clothed and wearing his bookbag across his back.

"Uh...hey..." He smiled, and the two's eyes met. Both obviously remembering yesterday, they quickly adverted their eyes, pale faces flushing pink in the morning light.

"H-Hey yourself," Erasa giggled, uncharacteristically shy at the sight of Gohan standing in front of her. She placed her hands behind her back, and shuffled her feet as she looked at Gohan, and then quickly at the ground.

"So..." Gohan began, extending a hand in a gesture.

"I didn't peek!" Erasa cut him off quickly, still unwilling to look the Saiyan in the eye.

"Wha...!?" Gohan was taken aback by the sudden outburst, unable to even complete his sentence. He looked at Erasa, perplexed. His confusion was understandable; Gohan was a man who, as a child, would swim naked with his father while fishing in the river, and this would qualify as quality bonding time. Shame wasn't something Son men usually experienced.

"Nothing!" The girl replied shrilly, covering her face to hide her beet red visage from Gohan, and letting loose a muffled laugh into her palms at his innocent bewilderment.

"Okaaaaay..." Gohan cleared his throat, eager to dispel this awkward atmosphere before it got even worse. "How about we get heading to school now? We can probably take our time, given how early it is..."

Erasa nodded, smiling brightly. "Yes, please!"

Smiling, Gohan rose into the air effortlessly, almost showing off in his flawless deployment of his _ki_ energy. He beckoned Erasa to follow. "C'mon! Why don't we take the scenic route this time?"

Erasa laughed joyously as she followed Gohan into the air, albeit a few seconds slower than himself. "Any more scenic than usual?"

"We can always make it up as we go," Gohan replied, gently taking her hand in his and pulling her along with him. "Like running on water, or shooting through the cloud?"

The blonde girl's face blushed again at the contact of skin, the warmth filling in her face despite just having faded. She wasn't deterred, however, and returned his light grip with a firm one of her own. "I never thought about doing things like that on my own before, let alone with you."

"Well, now's our chance," Gohan nodded his head forward, grinning. "Let's go!"

"Right!" Erasa replied firmly, and the two took off towards Satan City.

* * *

The two made it to school with plenty of time to spare, given how early they'd left — even taking a tour around a nearby mountain range — the two landed, Erasa and Gohan retrieved their books from their lockers, before making their way to their classes.

"Darn!" Gohan groaned in frustration, realization hitting him. "Erasa, go on into class without me. I forgot a few books, I need to go get them."

"Hm? Alright, I'll be in class then," Erasa agreed. At first, she was contemplating going with him, but in case the bell rang while Gohan was getting books, she needed to be there to make an excuse so he wouldn't be marked late.

Gohan turned the combination lock, opening his locker and taking the books he'd left inside, chuckling at his own forgetfulness. Closing the locker door, Gohan nearly jumped through the roof as he came face to face with an angry Videl, shooting him that look of loathing she reserved just for him.

It took Gohan only moments to scan the girl over with his eyes and see she was still very much hurt; her left arm was slung into a cast, and her right hand was covered in bandages as well — little did Gohan know they were acquired but yesterday when the ebony-tressed girl crushed her binoculars whilst spying on Gohan and Erasa.

"V-Videl...!" Gohan stuttered cautiously; he once again picked up the scent of confrontation emanating from Videl, that same pungent, cinnamon scent that struck his nose when Videl was particularly angry. "You...you're looking well! Up and about I see." Gohan was terrible at trying to talk his way out of situations like this, and with Videl's attitude now, no small talk could possibly save him.

"You've been busy, haven't you, Gohan?" Videl snapped, wasting no time in forcing her suspicions on poor Gohan.

"Busy?" Gohan blinked, for once, he was thoroughly confused. What was Videl getting at?

"Well, let's see, why don't we?" Videl walked away from Gohan briefly, pretending to count whatever offences she planned to hurl at him off in her head. "...vigilante work as the infamous Golden Warrior must be really difficult to balance with our coursework and _seducing my best friend. _Suffice to say, you've been just as busy as I am!"

"The Golden Warrior?!" Gohan felt a bead of sweat drop down his face, the uncertainty apparent in his voice. "We've been over this before, you've got the wrong guy! And about this whole 'seducing' your-!"

"Erasa also told me that," Videl nodded, cutting the Saiyan-hybrid off as she stared daggers. "And I'm not quite sure what bewitchment you have Erasa under, so much that she's so firmly in your corner, but I saw your entire fairy tale kiss moment yesterday. You can't argue your way out of that, Gohan."

"You...you saw that, did you?" Gohan chuckled weakly, only to round on her a moment later. "Wait, how!? That happened by my house, how did you even find where I live!?"

"I looked you up in the student registry," Videl replied airily, leaving Gohan's mouth agape. "But this isn't about me; I know you're the Golden Warrior! You were the only one besides Erasa who knew where I would have been when I went out to fight those criminals who can cause that kind of damage to a human body. I've seen what you can do as the Golden Warrior."

"What kind of evidence is that!?" Gohan exclaimed, slightly disturbed by this girl's persistence and analytic skill, and yet he could still point out most of what she said was pure conjecture.

"You're telling me all I need to know right now," Videl smirked, only furthering Gohan's confusion. "Your body language and your voice are betraying you; I can see you twitching and sweating. You're a terrible liar, Gohan."

Speechless, Gohan hung his shoulders in defeat. He couldn't truly argue against this girl's logic, but he had to wonder, did women just specialize in reading body language? Erasa was the same way, only she didn't use it to back him into corners.

"Please," He pleaded. "You cannot tell anyone this!"

Videl frowned; she was very eager to blow Gohan's cover. Nothing would make her happier than busting the resident Superman for his vigilante activities. She also remembered the paramedics told her she was propped up against the hovercraft when they found her; Gohan must have done that, to make her easier to find. So he wasn't all bad. However, if he was that desperate, she could take advantage of this easily. "Silence comes at a price, Gohan. So how about I make you an offer you can't refuse?"

Gohan felt a feeling of dread creep up his spine; he could tell Videl wasn't going to let him off easy.

"First, I want you to teach me how to fly, just like you taught Erasa," She sounded, if anything, actually dejected that Gohan showed Erasa something like this and not her as well. "It's not fair if only you two can do it."

"S-Sure," Gohan agreed, deciding not to tell Erasa that nearly everyone he knew was capable of flying. Even his mother showed the ability to stay aloft, if only temporarily.

"Great!" Videl grinned, her first condition being accepted rather easily. "Second...you entering the Tenka'ichi Budōkai eight months from now?"

"The Tenka'ichi Budōkai!?" Gohan had only heard about it a few times in stories his dad had told him that came from when he used to be a kid and competed. The Budōkai had been discontinued for some time, so Gohan was surprised to hear they were bringing it back.

"Didn't you know?" Videl asked, smugly. "They're bringing back the old tournament to find out who is the 'Strongest Under The Heavens'!" As a true competitor, the idea of a tournament like this positively excited Videl, and Gohan could sense that. Her _ki_, minimal as it was, rose feverishly when she mentioned it; the thought of competing in this tournament made her blood boil. "In their previous two attempts to reinstate the tournament, my dad was the previous champion...before that, I don't know what he looked like, but the champion was a man named Son Goku..."

"Yeah...?" Gohan absolutely hoped Videl wouldn't put two and two together and conclude Gohan was related to Goku, but by this point, he figured his luck with this girl had run out.

"The same family name as you," She said pointedly. "Not many people have family names these days, especially ones living out here. If I had to hazard a guess, I think this Son Goku is your _dad_. Am I in the ball park?"

"What!? I mean...!" Gohan, not learning from his earlier failed attempts, tried to formulate a lie as quickly as possible. "_Sh-She's too smart..._"

"Looks like I nailed it!" The girl grinned triumphantly. "So...you're going to enter, aren't you Gohan? This chance is too perfect; the incumbent champion's daughter fighting the previous champion's son! This can be the perfect chance to decide who will be the sole protector of Satan City; you, the Golden Warrior, or myself!"

"N-No thanks!" Gohan refused almost immediately; it wasn't that he didn't enjoy a good fight, that wasn't it. There was always part of him that enjoyed the thrill of battle, even if he kept it hidden. But the idea of fighting, as himself, in front of hundreds of people, at a tournament that would be televised worldwide, didn't sound ideal. "I'm not into this kind of thing."

"If you do~n't, I'll tell everyone that Gohan is the Golden Warrior~" Videl replied, almost sing-song as she knew this simple sentence would make Gohan do what she said.

"...Alright, you win," Gohan sighed, running his hand through his spiked tresses in exasperation. "_What have I gotten myself into now?_"

"Yay!" The girl exclaimed, fighting the urge to do a fist pump due to her injured arms. "You're the only one who can give me any competition, this is perfect!" She walked off, her task completed, positively beside herself. "I'll see you in class, Gohan."

"Oh man...a tournament?" Gohan grumbled to himself, standing alone in the empty hallway. "How did I let her rope me into something like this?"

"_A tournament? That sounds like it could be fun! Whaddya say I go too?_"

Gohan looked all around, trying to find the source of the voice that came to him out of nowhere. He was fairly certain the hall was empty now. Then realization set in. "Wait...that voice out of nowhere...was that...!? Dad!? Is that you!?"

"_It sure is!_" The ever cheerful voice of Son Goku rang throughout Gohan's head. While the boy couldn't see his father, Goku was communicating with him from the afterlife, through the abilities of the North Kaiō. "_How've you and your mother been, son?"_

Gohan couldn't believe this; after seven years, he could hear his father's voice again. "We've been fine, Dad! How have_you_ been!?"

"_Pretty good, pretty good,_" Goku quipped, finding it amusing Gohan would ask a dead man how he's been. "_I'm still dead, though_."

"You just said you're coming to the tournament...can you really do that!?" The teenage Saiyan was nearly at a loss for words.

"_Yeah!_" Goku was as excited as Gohan was at the thought of being able to see his family again, and not only that, returning to the World of the Living left the possibility of squaring off one-on-one with Gohan or Vegeta. As always, Goku's Saiyan mind could turn anything into a primarily combat-related situation. "_For certain dead souls, we can get one day to visit the World of the Living, and I'll make sure I return for the Budōkai! If you're competing, son, I want in on this too!_"

"WOOHOO!" Gohan crowed, his voice echoing through the hallway. "This is too good to be true! I'll have to go tell everyone about this, Dad! I know you'll want to see Vegeta and Piccolo at an event like this!"

"_If Vegeta's going to compete too, I can't really pass this up, now can I?_" Goku replied. "_Well, see you later — at the Budōkai!_"

* * *

The end of the school day arrived, and Gohan and Erasa were among the first two to exit the classroom, immediately heading to their familiar spot on the roof to get away from Videl and the other members of the class. In private, Gohan was able to explain to Erasa what Goku had told her, and, suffice to say, she was shocked.

"Your dad...is coming back from the dead...for a day!?" She blinked rapidly, as if her brain was working in overdrive to process this breach of the laws that governed the natural world. "And he wants to compete in the Budōkai!? That's great, Gohan!" In a fit of excitement for Gohan's luck, Erasa threw her arms around Gohan, pulling him into a celebratory embrace. "While Videl was a bit..._pushy_...I'm happy this managed to work out for you somehow!"

"I'm going to go tell everyone that Dad's coming back," Gohan gently hugged Erasa back, careful to hold his strength in despite his excitement. "Why don't you come with me? This could be a great chance for you to meet my Dad's friends!"

"I'd love to meet them!" The blonde replied energetically.

* * *

**West City, Capsule Corporation**

"Goku's coming back?" Bulma looked up at her young friend from her kneeling position besides a hovercycle she was constructing, a cigarette in her mouth. Smoking had been a bad habit of Bulma's since early adulthood, but she seemed to have made it semi-regular since Goku's death.

"Yeah, he got a pass to come back from the dead for a single day, and he's going to return to compete in the Budōkai!" Gohan breathed excitedly, while Erasa looked around casually; this was her first time coming to the inside of Capsule Corp., and any normal person would kill for this kind of opportunity.

"Now that I think about it, a similar privilege was granted to your great-grandfather back when Goku and I were kids," Bulma smiled, remembering the tournament Uranai Baba hosted when Goku and her friends needed to find the final remaining Dragon Ball to resurrect Bora, a man who was killed when helping Goku. "Wonders never cease when the Son family is involved, do they?"

"Kakarot's returning from the Land of the Dead, eh?" Vegeta's gruff voice came from around the corner hallway as he sauntered in, hands in his pockets, with the young Trunks at his heels. This was a new sight to Gohan; Vegeta in casual clothes. He'd only seen it once before, when Vegeta wore a hilarious BAD BOY pink shirt, and bright green pants. It appeared the Saiyan Prince was now in charge of his own wardrobe, as he was wearing a long sleeved blue shirt, and grey sweatpants, in addition to dark black laced-up shoes. "And he's competing in the Budōkai? If both of you are going to compete, I'll go too."

"Even you, Vegeta?" Gohan looked at the Prince of all Saiyans in surprise.

"This'll be a good chance for you, Gohan," Vegeta said pointedly, sharply glaring at the boy in disappointment. "You look out of shape. You've grown soft in these peaceful times; a bit of competition might bring you back up to snuff."

"Are Dad and Gohan going to fight?" Trunks asked excitedly.

"So, Gohan, who's the girl you brought with?" Bulma asked curiously, gesturing to Erasa, who was examining a silver, spiraling sphere with multiple rings around it; one of Bulma's recent inventions, it was perched on a nearby shelf, and Erasa inspected it with innocent curiosity.

"Uh...she's..." Gohan wasn't sure what to explain to Bulma; she hadn't met Erasa just yet.

"My name's Erasa. I'm a friend of his from childhood," Erasa offered helpfully, feeling Gohan's stuttering even with her back turned. "He and I go back quite a ways, and we met back up when we entered high school."

"Oh, I see," Bulma shot Gohan a knowing smile; it was quite clear she was no fool to the two's relationship.

"That goes quite a long way towards explaining your lackadaisical attitude," Vegeta snapped in irritation. "I expected better of you, Gohan."

"Uh...well..." Gohan had nothing to say in reply; he couldn't deny Vegeta had a point, but Gohan had a life to live. He wasn't like Vegeta or Goku, content to spent his entire life in training.

"Why don't you go tell Krillin next?" Bulma intervened before Vegeta could say anything worse. "I'm sure he'll love this!"

"Yeah!" Gohan agreed, eager for a chance to get himself and Erasa away from Vegeta's permanent scowl.

* * *

**Kame Island, Kame House**

"Goku!? Really!?" Krillin exclaimed after Gohan's explanation of the news his father had given him. Krillin — who now sported a full head of hair, as he stopped shaving after the fighting had stopped — was utterly shocked to received such news.

"That sister of mine," Master Rōshi chuckled to himself, surprised Baba was doing something like this without gaining anything in return. He could only assume she was getting a handsome sum of money in return for bringing Goku back to life, or she wouldn't bother to do it herself. "That boy never ceases to surprise me. We haven't seen him in ages."

"M-Maybe I'll enter as well," Krillin folded his arms, muttering to himself, obviously referring to the tournament. "But with Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta all entering, how can I even hope to win?"

"Come on, Krillin, try it!" Gohan urged. "The top five contestants all win prize money!"

"How _much_ money?" Android 18 inquired sharply.

"Let's see..." Gohan scratched his head, trying to recall the figures. "The winner, ten million Zeni, second place, five million, third place, three, fourth place, two, and fifth place, an even million."

"Do it, Krillin!" Android 18, spurred on by the thought of the winnings and finally being able to move off this island — and thus moving as far away from Master Rōshi as was humanly possible — demanded. "I'll enter too!"

"I-I guess..." Krillin replied, obviously at his wife's beck and call.

"I'll come observe," Rōshi concluded. "Watching you youngsters go at it in the ring, that sure takes me back."

"Don't tell Piccolo, Gohan," Krillin suggested, suddenly recalling the Namekian might also be participating. "It'd be really difficult for me to make it to the top five if he's competing too!"

"Aw, I can't do that Krillin!" Gohan replied, eager as he was to see Piccolo again. "Speaking of that, we should be heading there next. Erasa, let's go!" Saying their good-byes, the two lifted off into the air and out of sight.

"_That boy..._" Rōshi watched Gohan and Erasa fly off into the distance, smiling a smile of satisfaction. "_I can tell he's training that girl in martial arts...he's stepping into his father's shoes well. Sacrificing yourself wasn't in vain, Goku — your son is growing into a fine young man himself._"

* * *

**Kami's Lookout**

"Goku is returning to compete in the Budōkai? A prospect most intriguing," Piccolo folded his arms, a thin smile crossing his face at the idea of competing with his old rival in the Budōkai once more. Unlike his pupil that stood before him, Piccolo had not slacked off in seven years of peace; having learned from Kami's mistake, Piccolo had remained ever vigilant in watching the Earth with Dende, and ever persistent in increasing his training regimen. "I'll be there, Gohan. It's been far too long since your father and I have had the chance at serious competition."

"Awesome!" Gohan grinned, excited at the prospect of seeing Piccolo in action again. "What about you, Dende?"

The Guardian of Earth, the replacement for Kami, had grown very much in the seven years since the Cell Saga. Not quite up to Piccolo's physical build, due to Namekians age, often taking centuries to reach the same physical build as an adult human, depending on the situation in which they find themselves, Dende was still a few heads shorter than his Saiyan friend, but he finally looked the part of a God of Earth. His staff held tightly in his hands, he shook his head in a polite refusal.

"No thanks, Gohan," The Namekian replied. "Some Namekians are warriors, and others are healers; I'm not fit for a tournament like this."

"You know, Gohan," Erasa began, slightly nervous at interjecting between the conversation Gohan was having with these strange men. "I might enter this tournament as well. I can't say I'll be a real match for any of you, but it might be a good way to test my skills."

"That's a great idea, Erasa!" Gohan was surprised they hadn't considered the possibility earlier. Sure, Erasa might not win, but it would be a good way to see the fruits of her hard work.

"_This girl...she isn't a normal human...I can feel the beginnings of a tapped well of power_." Piccolo analyzed Erasa with a sharp look, which might have seemed off-putting and even threatening to the girl, had she been paying attention. "Gohan, is this girl your student?"

"Huh?" Gohan was taken aback by the sudden question, looking at Piccolo in confusion; he hadn't expected Piccolo to pick up on that at all. "Yeah, you could say that. I've started teaching Erasa the basics of _ki_, and her training is going to expand starting tomorrow."

"I see," Piccolo smiled, looking at Gohan as a proud father would to his son,and placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder, firmly gripping it. "I've known you since you were a boy, Gohan. To see you standing here, not just as a man but as a teacher as well? I'm proud to have once been called a master by you.."

Gohan stared in awe at Piccolo for the longest time. Rarely had Piccolo given out any form of compliments to anybody, even as a boy he heard them far and between. To hear such words come from his first martial art teacher caused a bright smile harking back to his childhood. Being the respectful man he was, though, he'd quickly bow to Piccolo, as a student would to his master, "Thank you, Piccolo!"

With all the details given to everyone of importance, Gohan and Erasa took off from the Lookout, flying back down towards the Earth.

"I think, if we're going to properly train for this competition, we'll need to take some time off from school," Erasa said as the two descended towards the surface before pulling up into a level flight path. "I think my dad would be okay with it, if I tell him about the prize money involved; he's always wanted me to get some kind of scholarship anyway and this would be an easy chance, if I win."

"Mom's the same way, actually," Gohan chuckled to himself, imagining how simple it would be to convince his mother to let him train for this tournament once he mentioned the prize money involved. "So, I'll see you tomorrow then? First thing in the morning?"

"First thing in the morning," Erasa replied, smiling as both of them turned to fly in the opposite direction towards their homes.

* * *

**East District 439, Base of Mount Paozu, Son Residence; Later That Night**

"What!?" Chi-Chi shrieked, her very voice nearly rattling the Son household. "Goku's coming back for a day to compete in the Budōkai!? Why didn't you tell me sooner!?"

The two sons of Goku watched their mother shriek like a maniac before she settled down, absolutely ecstatic with the situation. "Isn't that great, Goten!? You'll get to meet your Daddy for a day!"

Goten, who remained fairly clueless as to what was going on, looked up from his ricebowl at his mother in bewilderment, but said nothing. If she was excited, meeting his Dad had to be a good thing, right?

"The dead don't age, do they?!" Chi-Chi ran her hands along her face, fussing now about her appearance. "And I've gotten so old, oh no! Why didn't I go to more spas!? How many years has it been now? Seven!?"

Gohan simply watched as his mother continued to chatter, eating quietly deciding he had to break his silence. "Hey Mom, can I compete in the tournament as well? The top five contestants all win prize money, so if I win, it'll be like receiving a large scholarship. The first prize is ten million zeni, the second place is five million—"

"Ten million zeni!?" Chi-Chi exclaimed, thrusting her hands down onto the wooden table, causing all the dishes to shake and clatter. "Gohan, you've _got_ to enter this thing! That's fifteen million between you and your Dad!"

"You know there's no guarantee I'll wi—" Gohan began but his mother cut him off.

"Oh please!" She waved a finger at Gohan. "One of you is going to win for sure! You can catch up on your schoolwork later, I want you to train hard for this!"

Gohan breathed a huge sigh of relief, relieved that all he really did need was to mention the prize money and he was able to get this discussion to go the way he wanted without having it boil over into an argument. With Chi-Chi making an offhand comment about the money that her father, the Ox-King, would periodically send was running out, Gohan turned to his younger brother.

"Hey Goten, why don't you help me with my training, starting tomorrow?" The older hybrid asked, despite knowing how eager Goten would be that he was finally taking the boy up on his offer to train with him. "While I get Erasa's own regiment started, I could use a powerful sparring partner!"

"Sure!" The boy ecstatically agreed.

From this moment on, for the next eight months, the Z-Fighters and martial artists from all around the world would begin their training with the hopes of only one thing in mind: to be crowned the "Strongest Under The Heavens"!

* * *

**A/N: **_Whoo boy! Finally finished chapter seven and I have to admit it's looking pretty fine! I'm sorry it took quite awhile to get out, but this is a very important chapter (hence the name of it), and there were several things I had to make sure I did right, so as not to get a bad reaction. One thing I liked best about this chapter; I got a week done in one chapter. The slow progress of time in my story was a personal gripe of mine, but that's been fixed with this chapter! Also, before anyone in the comments mentions Chi-Chi can't fly, in the anime, Goku and Chi-Chi's fight had a cool extension where they fought in the air. So I mentioned that as a throwaway line._

So, as per the usual, I should explain the punny names I came up with for these minor characters. The two noisy students were named "Kuzetsu" (_口舌__) which quite literally means "tongue" but can also mean "talking recklessly", and Jōgen (__冗言__) which quite simply means "chatter". This refers to their nature as talkative students (though the class at large is like this). The two criminals, Zain and Bōmono, both come from Japanese words that refer to criminals. Zain comes from the word "zainin" (__罪人__) and literally means "criminal" or "sinner". It can also double as a pun for "vain", which would fit a criminal. Bōmono comes from the word ranbōmono (__乱暴者__) and literally means "thug"._

So, as you can see, this chapter is setting the stage for the upcoming parts of the series; Goku's return, the Tenka'ichi Budōkai, and Gohan and Erasa's first kiss, which sets the stage for their relationship to evolve. I loved writing this chapter, even though it took quite awhile, and some things were changed and altered when new ideas hit me; always a glorious feeling. While I try not to take three weeks to do a chapter, I like to give it my all, and my life, with friends, family, my job, and just trying to find some "me" time during all of it, does tend to hamper my writing progress to a degree, but I promise I will try to bring you the best quality writing as quickly as I can! And hey, I got this chapter out before August, so I'm happy with it!

Sorry I rambled on here; stay tuned, everyone, for the next exciting chapter of The Erased Chronicles! I'm glad I made this one more eventful like I promised, and I ensure the next chapter, while it will be a little more peaceful, will deliver well! And, as always, let's thank my friend Demod20, who is a big help in both brainstorming and proofreading!


End file.
